Defying Darkness
by Nazrindi
Summary: AU: 5 years into the future, Dan gets a message from Spectra requesting a brawl. He and the Brawlers also learn of creatures who are threatening the Bakugan on Vestroia. Who are they, and what do they want? Also, Masquerade returns! (Discontinued.)
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the rights to Bakugan Battle Brawlers or any of the characters in the first few chapters.

Prologue

Sunlight filtered down through the leaves of a willow tree, dappling the grass with gold as a warm breeze ruffled the reddish brown hair of the teen gazing up at the sky. All was calm as she watched clouds float by in slow motion. Even the birds and insects were strangely quiet, and the only sound that could be heard was the whisper of the wind through the trees. It started in the east, and then slowly meandered its way down until it brushed across her face and clothes. But the mind of the nineteen year old was filled with unrest.

Alice's thoughts drifted back to the events of a day much like this some five years past. She remembered him clearly…his spiked blond hair, his white trenchcoat, the blue visor that made it impossible to read his emotions if it were not for the occasional smirk or frown that betrayed them. The day she remembered so vividly was the first time they had talked face to face, despite her being well aware of, and indeed _part_ of, his presence for so long.

_A brown haired teen dressed in red and yellow offered his hand to the blond. An offer of friendship, as a way to thank his unlikely savior for protecting him from defeat. From the darkness that would enshroud Vestroia should that occur. His hand lingered in the air. Dan waited. So much depended on this moment._

_His rescuer refused. The casual gesture of friendship triggered an unexpectedly pivotal event in the masked boy's mind. He retreated into a different dimension of sorts, where he would tell his other half about his decision. A decision that he felt was the right one. She did not take it lightly…much as he expected._

"_No, please…don't leave! We still need your help Masquerade!" Alice shouted to him, eyes wide in disbelief._

"_I cannot help you…that destiny is yours alone." Although his eyes were shielded under a plane of blue glass, his tone of voice revealed only the deepest sincerity. He had faith in her. _

"_No, I can't…not all by myself. I've only begun to learn about Bakugan, and I feel so inexperienced. It's all too much for me." Her voice was soft, unsure. The one she spoke to was but a few feet away, but she felt like they were worlds apart. In a way, they were._

"_You will be fine. I know you can do it!" Confidence shown through his voice. Confidence that Alice could only hope for._

"_But how?"_

"_Don't you know? It's because I AM you. Here, have this." In the palm of Masquerade's red-gloved hand was a small black ball. To the average viewer, it might appear to be a child's plaything. But it was no toy. It was a Bakugan. It was Hydranoid, one of the strongest that existed._

"_But…Masquerade..."Alice couldn't believe that he was willingly entrusting his companion to her. She realized then that he had more trust in her than she had in herself._

A pang of sorrow went through Alice at the memory. She never did see him again after that day. Hydranoid was hers, and they shared many battles together. However, even Hydranoid was gone now, back to Vestroia after Naga was defeated and the realm restored to its natural order. She had a great fondness for the three headed dark dragon, despite his rough demeanor. He always encouraged her to trust in herself, and to never give up. When they fought, they worked as an unlikely team. Confidence and uncertainty, outspokenness and shyness, fiendishness and righteousness. It reminded her of her relationship with Masquerade, but not as close.

Alice sighed again and looked up at the clouds, who just like her: drifting along not knowing what the future held. Drifting to and fro, building up storm clouds of emotion.

Thinking of Masquerade was guaranteed to bring that emotion.

Her mind ran over the events that led to Masquerade's appearance. Or perhaps, creation…Alice wasn't sure which.

Her grandfather had been working on an inter-dimensional portal, determined to prove the existence of other realities. He got more than he bargained for when the portal opened at last, just as Vestroia was experiencing a surge of negative energy. The energy permeated the lab, contaminating it. Later on, Hal-G and Masquerade appeared in their dimension. These people were, in essence, alter-egos of Dr. Michael and Alice, respectively.

Masquerade was never separate from Alice, so to speak, until the day he helped Dan. Prior to that, Alice could become him at will, by donning his blue visor. Whenever she took on his personality, she remembered nothing of what she did as Masquerade, and always felt guilty for his actions. Masquerade himself must have somehow picked up on this guilt, and that must have been why he began abandoning his evil ways, Alice mused.

Masquerade wasn't just any villain. Being her alter-ego, he knew her better than anyone. He had a special insight into how she thought, into her innermost feelings. Many people would be uneasy at the thought of their body housing an alter ego, unaware of their presence until evil deeds had already been done. A shadow that would never fade away. Alice was, at first. With time, her feelings changed more than she ever anticipated. And as sure as she knew there was evil in her heart, she knew there was good in his.

She still wondered…did he disappear that fateful day because he was created out of negative energy, and his body could no longer take it? No…surely not…he was much more than a mere evil presence. More than a shadow. He was as real as Vestroia and the Bakugan were, with a personality of his own and hopes and dreams to match.

And people couldn't just fade away…could they?

**A/N:** The prologue has been revised. I didn't change anything too major, just tried to explain more of the connection Alice feels with Masquerade. Hopefully you liked it, and my explanation of the alternate universe stuff wasn't too confusing. :P Please read and review, but no flames!


	2. Chapter 1: The Challenge

**A/N: **I do not own the rights to Bakugan Battle Brawlers or any of the characters therein. I do own a few fan characters, however, who will be introduced in future chapters.

Chapter 1: The Challenge

A loud ring resounded in the early morning air. A small snore was the only reply.

_BZZZZT! BZZZT! BZZ…_

The alarm clock was swiftly silenced by a first slamming down on its metal frame. Groggily, the young man rose out of bed, pulling his covers aside and running a hand through his tousled hair. Looking at the clock, Dan Kuso noticed that it was 5:30 AM. Much too early to do anything of importance. He trudged to the bathroom, and after taking a quick hot shower and brushing his teeth, he turned on the TV. Half awake, he listened to the news as he fixed himself some breakfast.

"_The second in a series of murders is currently under investigation by authorities. The man is believed to be in his 30's, red hair…"_

Oh no. Not this sort of depressing news again. Dan quickly flipped the channel.

"_The town is in a state of turmoil after learning of the escape of an accused rapist. The man is believed to be armed and dangerous, as he is also under suspicion of felony assault. If you see anyone who matches the description, call…"_

The twenty year old gritted his teeth. How could some people in society be so sick? And even worse, why did the news love to constantly talk about it? Dan wondered if there would ever be something happy on the news for once. Ha. Fat chance.

_Flip._

"_You woke up late for school, man you don't wanna go. You ask your mom please but she still says no. You missed two classes with no homework. Your teacher preaches class like you're some kinda jerk. So we gotta fight, for the right, to PAR-TAY!" _

Ah. Much better. Dan smiled as he listened to the music, putting him in an upbeat mood.

As he always did in the morning, he turned on his Baku-Pod, and a small beep alerted him to the fact that he had received a new message. He looked at the screen. "Unknown Sender." Hmmm. He hadn't gotten one of these in quite a while. Muting the television, he played the message. A man with wild straw colored hair appeared on screen. The man's appearance looked downright pretentious. A red mask concealed his pale features, and what looked like black feathers stood up from the collar of his red long sleeved coat. Numerous buckles could be seen on the dark brown uniform he wore underneath. In his white gloved hand was a black ball that he twirled about his fingers. Before he spoke, an evil laugh broke the silence.

"Dan Kuso…I have wanted to challenge you for quite a while. It looks like now is the right time. It seems you haven't been keeping track of your opponents…I am now the second best player in the world. Now there is only one spot standing in my way to victory…yours. I'm surprised that you've let me get this far, really. Meet me by the park at 3:30 PM on the dot. Don't disappoint me!"

An evil chuckle resounded as the screen turned to static. Dan seethed. He didn't like this guy's attitude one bit. No doubt he was up to something evil. Strange that trouble should suddenly appear. Things had been relatively calm ever since the evil Naga was defeated. Dan hated to admit it, but he had lost his passion for brawling ever since his Guardian Bakugan, Drago, went back to Vestroia. He still did it, sure, but it just wasn't the same.

He wondered what Drago was up to now. Was he in some eternally peaceful state, some kind of heaven, after merging with the Infinity Core? Was he living a happy life with Wayvern, his beloved white dragoness? Dan could only guess. Pushing the memories that only brought him heartache aside, he quickly ate breakfast, packed up his stuff, and strolled off to another day of college.

* * *

It was 6:30 in the morning. Dew glittered on the grass in the early light. The sky took on a pink tinge as the sun reached towards the horizon. Alice tiredly dragged herself out of bed, rubbing the sleep out of her brown eyes. It felt as though she were carrying a heavy weight, after waking up from a dream that felt so incredibly real she could barely believe his presence was missing right now.

_Silver columns were part of the entryway of the foreboding room; an arch connected their abacuses. Shades of blue and grey: on the walls, the windows, the floor, the ceiling. A full-length mirror was placed in front of her, and a tall young man with spouts of golden hair stared back. His mask was as reflective as the mirror's surface. It looked like an "upgraded" version: rounded at the edges with borders like ski goggles, showing slightly pale cheeks. He placed his hands on the barrier, fingertips pink as he forced his weight behind gloved palms. _

"_Put your hands to mine." His tone was almost…seductive? Nevertheless, she obeyed._

_As soon as Alice did, the mirror was gone, and their fingers locked together. In one smooth motion he brought his alter ego closer, scrutinizing her. Her brows went together slightly. What was he waiting for? She could anticipate his next move. _

_However, it wasn't entirely what she expected. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bowing his head as he brought his face and neck to press against the side of hers. He seemed oddly upset as she felt the warmth of his uneven breath. _

"_Alice. We have to battle against a new threat. But I wish we didn't have to." _

The reluctant Brawler's heart only sunk further as she relived the memory of the dream. She had never heard him speak in such a longing tone until now, assuming it was real. As she walked over to the window to look at the sunrise, she heard a whisper that made her jump.

"_Alice…can you hear me?"_

She stopped dead in her tracks, looking around to find the source of the words. Nothing. It was probably just her mind still trying to break out of its dreamlike state. He _was_ missing after all. She walked over to the curtains and opened them slightly.

"_Alice!"_ The voice cried out, louder. A male voice.

Could it be…? No. Surely not…he had been gone for years. Why would he come back now, of all times? Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of perhaps seeing him again. How would he react? _"Quit fooling yourself Alice…it's just your imagination trying to make that dream come true." _She scolded herself mentally.

Forgetting the strange occurrence, she gazed out to take in the beauty of the sky. There was something awe inspiring about the dawn of a new day, and the fleeting splendor it brought. She took a deep breath and walked out of her room, ready to get prepared for the day ahead. But as she left it, she caught a glimpse of a humanoid shadow out of the corner of her eye. She shrugged it off, and got ready for class.

* * *

When she arrived on campus after taking the bus, she saw a few very familiar faces. "Good to see you again after so long!" A silver haired girl spoke, a smile brightening her features.

"Nice to see you too, Julie." Alice said to her upbeat friend. Some five years ago she never would have imagined Julie to be this happy again. She took her loss of Gorem pretty hard. Alice assumed that her boyfriend Billy played a big role in helping her through it.

"Yeah Alice! We were wondering what you were up to over the summer." Dan said, a sly grin on his face.

"Well, you know, not much…" Alice replied, reluctant to talk about what was troubling her.

"Do you mean to imply that you had a boring summer? You could have always gone on a cruise to the Bahamas with me and my folks." A younger blond haired boy, Marucho, replied a bit nervously, but quickly covered it up with a laugh.

"Yeah, sure…that would have been lovely." Alice forced a smile, but was admittedly embarrassed by Marucho's constant attempts at flirting with her. Although she had to confess, it_ was_ sort of cute.

"So, any news in regards to Bakugan?" Alice asked, trying to change the subject.

"Come to think of it, there is. Dan said that he got a message from some strange new Brawler that has almost worked his way up to the top spot!" Runo said with concern.

"Runo, I told you not to bring that up!" Dan yelled at the blue haired girl, a bit irritated.

"Yeah, well I'm sorry, Mr. I-Know-Everything-About-Bakugan-And-You-Don't!" She snapped back with equal force.

"Guys…I thought you had outgrown this fighting. Please, we'll discuss it later." Shun said.

"_Thank goodness…I hate it when they argue."_ Alice took an inward sigh of relief. Some couples just never grow up. She was glad that Shun was still the stoic member of the group, always willing to speak up when things got out of hand.

"I suppose I should really get going. Class starts in five minutes. It was nice seeing you all again!" Alice said. The Brawlers said their goodbyes and headed off to their first classes of the day.

It took seemingly forever for Alice to find her classroom. She was a freshman, and so the campus was completely new to her. Figuring that she would be able to find all of the buildings on her own with ease, she never took the introductory tour of Jennings University. Now she wished she had, since it would have saved her the embarrassment of asking random people for directions. Sighing, she stepped into the lecture hall and took a seat near the middle of the room. Looking around, she was surprised to find Dan and Julie sitting a few rows behind her.

"Hey Alice! I didn't know you were in the same class. Get over here and sit by us!" Dan said in his usual cheerful way as he waved a hand in the air. Glad to know she'd have some company for the moment, she went over and took a seat between Dan and Julie.

"This is History 102, right?"

"Of course! I heard that this class is a real snoozer, too." Dan replied, pretending to yawn.

"Oh Dan, you think every class is a snoozer!" Julie said, rolling her lavender eyes.

"I do not! I happened to like 3D Design and History of Rock and Roll…" He argued. "I bet Alice would like this class, though. I never heard you complain about a single class back in high school."

"Maybe. This will probably be a lot different than high school history, though." His friend replied. Dan just shrugged.

"So, Dan, what was it that Runo said about you getting a message from a new Brawler?" Julie asked, curiosity getting the better of her. "We haven't gotten any new challenges in years."

"Oh, right. This morning I turned on my Baku-Pod and noticed this new message from a guy dressed in a red outfit and mask with some of the wildest hair I've ever seen. He told me to meet him by the park at 3:30 this afternoon for a brawl. He also claimed that he's the second best player in the world, and wants to challenge me for my spot." A hint of concern could be heard in his voice.

"That's really odd. Let me check the rankings." Julie flipped open her Baku-Pod and went online to check the rankings, which were updated with every new battle. Her mouth fell open slightly when she saw that a new player, whose avatar matched Dan's description, was only one spot away from being Number 1.

"Here it is. The player's name is Spectra, and it looks like he's Number 2 now!" Julie showed the screen to Dan and Alice.

"How could he have moved up the ranks so quickly without us knowing about it?" Alice wondered aloud.

"That's what I'd like to know. He has a lot of guts to challenge _me_ to a battle!" Dan boasted with his usual confidence. A few other students in the room turned their heads in his direction, wondering what the fuss was about.

"Dan…don't fool yourself. You know that you don't enjoy brawling as much as you did all those years ago. We've all lost our passion for the game ever since we've lost our Guardian Bakugan." Julie stated, a hint of sadness in her voice. Dan sighed, not saying anything. Alice was about to speak up when the professor walked in and began his lecture. The group was silent until the end of class. When the lecture was over, the group walked out together.

"Dan…if you happen to need help during the battle, just call us, and we'll be there to back you up." Julie and Alice assured him.

"Thanks. I don't know how strong this guy is. I might need it. But I think I can take him on." He said with a wink and a grin. But Dan knew that his friends were right. He just didn't want to admit he had lost confidence…he had always been the leader of the group, and he was determined to keep up that image. What would his friends think of him otherwise?

**A/N: **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've since updated it to include more Masquerade/ Alice elements, and just improve my descriptions in general. Please R&R, but no flames!


	3. Chapter 2: The Game

**A/N: **I do not own the rights to Bakugan Battle Brawlers or any of the characters therein. I do own a few fan characters, however, who will be introduced in future chapters.

Chapter 2: The Game

Dan was slightly out of breath as he reached the park. Just like when he was younger, he would sometimes run before a brawl to get his adrenaline going and sharpen his reflexes. But even this wasn't helping his attitude today. He couldn't kid himself—it was Drago who made brawling so worthwhile back then. He made him aware that Bakugan were _real_. It wasn't just a silly game. It was he who told him that humans and Bakugan needed to work together to stop Naga. He actually had a reason to fight back then—to save Earth and Vestroia from destruction, but now…it seemed as though Bakugan really _was_ no more than a silly child's game.

Dan looked down at his watch: 3:28 PM. Two minutes until the showdown. He absent-mindedly sifted through the Bakugan he had brought with him—all Pyrus specialty, with decent G's. He sighed as he remembered how he and Drago fought together as a team. His dragon friend had so much strength, so much confidence. Dan knew that there would never be another like him.

"So, Dan…are you ready, or are you just going to sit there and run through your futile strategies over and over again in your mind?" Hearing the voice of his challenger snapped Dan back to reality. Calm, with a hint of arrogance.

Now he got to see what Spectra looked like face-to-face. He noticed what seemed to be small jewels embedded in his red mask, with its one glowing digital eye. The other was hidden by that crazy hair of his. Covering his thin frame was that jester-like red coat with the black feathers, and tall brown boots with golden ribbon-like markings. He looked so out of the ordinary, as though he was from another time and place.

"Of course I'm ready! There's no chance that you're going to take over my spot as the ultimate Brawler." But deep down inside, Dan knew that there was a real chance that he might lose this brawl.

"Is that so? I don't think you know what you're up against." Spectra was unperturbed.

"Yeah. I do! You're just another power hungry freak who wants to be number one, and has something wicked planned."

The corners of his mouth upturned in a smile as he regarded Dan, paying no mind to his empty insults. He turned a small black and red orb around in his right hand, as though it were a healing stone.

_"This is the moment we've been waiting for. We can't disappoint Lord Naas. All our practice has lead to this first battle with one who opposes us!" Spectra sensed his Bakugan's voice in his subconscious. _

"Field open!" Dan shouted.

Time slowed to a halt as runes representing the six attributes appeared on the ground, opening the dimensional portal. The two could feel themselves falling into the unearthly arena, landing nimbly on their feet. If this were the "real" world, neither would have survived the fall. Luckily the battlefield had the dimensional properties of Vestroia, and there, physics worked differently.

They threw down their gate cards first, then their Bakugan. A metal warrior with red and orange armor appeared on Dan's side of the field. A purple centipede with razor-sharp mandibles manifested on Spectra's. The two fought, fire attributed Robotallion dodging Centipoid's strikes with ease. A blast of flame hit the Centipoid in the middle of its head, causing it to back away in pain. The warrior had the upper hand as he sent fireball after fireball crashing into his sluggish foe. Knowing that he was going to win, he took a brief moment to rest.

A fatal mistake.

The next second he was caught off guard, trapped in the blade-like pincers of his foe. The Centipoid had the higher G level, and with no ability cards thrown down, Robotallion never had a chance of winning. Reduced back to his ball form, Robotallion rolled to Dan's feet.

_"I have to think of a strategy…I can't let this freak beat me like this!" _But try as he might, no strategies would come to his mind.

"Giving up so soon, Dan Kuso? I expected more from you." Spectra shook his head in disappointment. "As the top Brawler in the world, you should have me ready to surrender by now!" He sneered, spreading his arms out in a mock gesture of grandeur.

Dan said nothing, throwing his next Bakugan into the fray. Spectra did the same. Dan was battling Centipoid again, but this time Falconeer was his fighter of choice. The avian Bakugan's huge wings unfolded as it let out a piercing cry.

"Gate Card OPEN!"

Now feeling twice as powerful, the Falconeer dove with outstretched talons, seeking revenge for the fallen Robotallion. The huge arthropod tried to dodge, but it was no match for the speed of a Falconeer in an attack dive. Downed in a firey blaze, it hissed as it clattered uselessly at Spectra's feet. Falconeer keered in victory like a hawk before Dan caught it in ball form.

"A _character card_? Amateurish, yet unexpected. Maybe you have a chance after all." The glimmer in Spectra's eye was unsettling.

_"What _is_ it with his eye? It's not like any I've ever seen…is it robotic?" _Dan couldn't help but wonder as he flinched under his foe's blank stare. This Spectra was odd.

"You _bet_ I have a chance! I'm going to prove to you just why I'm number one!" Again, a lie. He wasn't going to show weakness. He couldn't.

Dan went with Falconeer again. Spectra hmmphed as he threw his next Bakugan into the fray. Dark energy rolled off of the ball like smoke before it snapped open. A small dragon-like shape emerged, then a flash of white light. When it faded, Dan couldn't believe his eyes. A monstrous dragon of crimson and ebony, snarling as it flexed its enormous wings, a _whoosh_ with each beat. Silver spikes jutted out from its chest, arms, legs, and shoulders like medieval armor. One lighting-blade-like metal horn adorned its head. A tail probably twenty feet long all by itself whipped around restlessly. He lost all hope. There was no way he could beat this Dragonoid!

"I am Viperhelios. Victory is mine…the Beos will be pleased…" The dark dragon said in a deep, hissing voice. He launched into the air with astonishing speed, clashing with Falconeer in mid-air as he let out a deafening roar. Fore and hind talons locked together, it was apparent who the victor would be. Even so, Falconeer did not back down. He summoned all of his strength to create a blast of flame that would have done most Bakugan in.

Viperhelios didn't even flinch.

"Darkness Wave!" The behemoth roared, dark energy dancing between his razor sharp teeth. More and more smoke poured from his nostrils as the attack gained strength. Then, in one immense blast it was unleashed, and the Falconeer was slammed into the ground, defeated.

This time, he went to Spectra, not Dan.

"_What?_ How did you…" Dan's mouth fell open in shock. Spectra just smirked again.

"Viperhelios' Darkness Wave ability makes any defeated Bakugan the property of yours truly. Would you like to see an encore?"

Once more, Dan said nothing. He threw his next player onto the field: a saurian warrior stood in front of the immense dragon. Saurus' green reptilian eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out his opponent's weak spots. Then, nostrils flaring with a snort, he leapt, striking at Viperhelios' sides.

"Irritating pest…you think you can defeat me? You, too, will fall to darkness! _Darkness Wave!_"

The dreaded attack hit Saurus head on, and he fell to the ground in pain. He struggled to get up, but slumped to the ground. Spectra held his gloved hand open as the Bakugan ball flew into his palm. Only his hair and coat moved as an unearthly gust swept past, his looks intimidating to the brown haired boy opposite him.

"Three strikes, you're out…_Dan_." He hated the way Spectra said his name, like it was so inferior he couldn't bear to say it.

He watched with distaste as Spectra walked away, like a gladiator who had emerged victorious in battle. Dan hadn't been defeated in so long…it was a painful experience. What was he going to say to the others? They surely wouldn't be happy that he hadn't called them for back-up, when he easily could've. And what was that Beos thing Viperhelios mentioned? He sighed as he walked down the deserted street, wondering how he would explain himself.

* * *

It was a perfect afternoon as Alice started her walk home from campus. The clouds looked as though they were painted in a perfectly blue sky. Birds chirped out melodies that welcomed summer. Squirrels chased each other around the trees, chattering. Why take the bus when it was so gorgeous out?

Soon, Alice became aware of a doorway shaped multicolored light off to her right. It couldn't be! It reminded her of the dimensional transporter that…

"Didn't think I would come back, huh? I was trying to get your attention, but either you were too oblivious or you just didn't want to see me." A familiar spiky haired blonde said, characteristic grin on his face.

"Masquerade!"

Unable to stop herself, Alice did something she never would have some five years past. She hugged her alter ego, pressing her face into his jacket.

"Okay…I guess you _did_ miss me after all…" Masquerade looked down at the brown eyed girl hugging him. Alice quickly let go, ashamed of her random show of affection. She looked up at the face she hadn't seen in years. He had certainly gotten a little taller, and subtle changes in what she could see of his face showed that he was older. His blue triangular mask was replaced by the smoother ski goggle-like one she had seen in her dream. He still wore a sleeveless white trenchcoat, though it looked newer. So did his belts, boots, and pants.

"Masquerade…why did you leave me? Where…where have you been all these years?" Her eyes showed sadness, and for a second, it was as though she hadn't changed a bit from the last time he saw her, in the vision they shared. She still seemed a child, although Masquerade knew this wasn't the case.

"I've always been here, you know…well, here and there, I really should say." He chuckled a bit, brushing her hair behind her ear. Alice blushed, his action taking away her frustration with his answer.

"I've been wondering…if you don't mind me asking…how were we separated?"

Masquerade lowered his head as he thought. "I can't be sure. I think it had to do with your decision to help Dan fight Centurion and Drumen. It wasn't solely your decision, of course…I let you become me, because I could tell how much you cared for Dan. Don't think it was easy for me, though…I hated his guts, but I figured, "What's there to lose?" So I helped him. But when I _did_ help him…something changed. I saw how much he and Drago worked as a team, their unstoppable spirits. I hate saying this, but I admired him a tiny bit. Mind you, just a _tiny_ bit. Once I started having these positive thoughts about my former enemies, it seemed I became permanently separated from my original dimension. Don't ask me to explain _how_…I'm no quantum physicist…but I'm pretty sure that's _why_ we were separated."

Alice just nodded as she absorbed this information. It made sense to her, at least. "But still…why did you leave? I needed your help so much of the time…"

"No you didn't. You got along just fine without me, didn't you? Now that you mention it…maybe that's another reason for me becoming separate. I had served my purpose in helping you advance as a Brawler, and since you were becoming quite the Brawler yourself, you didn't_ need_ my help." He brought his hands to hers as he spoke, removing them at the last sentence for emphasis.

Alice smiled. She guessed that she never did give herself enough credit. "You're probably right…I just didn't have the confidence…and I couldn't get it unless I had to do things by myself."

Masquerade nodded. There was silence between them. A breeze swept passed, causing his trenchcoat to billow out. Alice's hair was gently ruffled. It was like that scene so many years ago. Only this time, it was in the real world.

The Darkus Brawler turned his back to her, sunlight glinting off his mask.

"Remember Alice. You still need to fulfill your destiny. Prior events were only a small part of it." He held up his transporter card between his thin fingers, disappearing in a rain of pastel light as he traversed dimensions.

Alice still had many unanswered questions. She wondered briefly if she should tell the others. Nah…they wouldn't believe it. It would be her own little secret for now. She couldn't help but wonder, though. What destiny was there left to fulfill? Could her dream about Masquerade's warning of a new threat be real?

**A/N: **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've since updated it to include more Masquerade/ Alice elements, and just improve my descriptions in general. I also added a smidge more interaction between Spectra and Helios. Please R&R, but no flames!


	4. Chapter 3: Evil is Revealed

**A/N: **I do not own the rights to Bakugan Battle Brawlers or any of the characters therein. I do however own the concept of the Beos, their leader Naas, and my fan Bakugan Zoracera. No stealing!

Chapter 3: Evil is Revealed

Spectra walked up the towering stone stairway, the newly captured Saurus and Falconeer safely tucked away in his coat pocket. Naas would be pleased with the two new additions to the Beos' army. A sinister smile twisted his features as he mused to himself.

Fighting was _all_ that Bakugan were good for. They weren't intelligent. They had no morals. They certainly were not worthy of being on the same level as humans in the hierarchy of life. Bakugan were just mindless creatures with one desire: to battle each other in an endless struggle to become the Ultimate Bakugan. None exemplified this more than Naga, the ashen one bent on universal domination. He certainly didn't care if Earth was destroyed in the process of absorbing the Silent Core and the Infinity Core, a feat that would make him the strongest being in existence. Spectra shook his head slightly. At least he was no longer a problem, having been defeated some five years ago. But there were still others to be dealt with.

As he reached the top of the stairway, a massive black tower greeted him. The top was flat, and the sides smooth and cylindrical, making it look like a huge smokestack on the lofty plateau. A few windows meant it was probably occupied, though they seemed too small to let in much light. However, the panes shone against the dim, so its outward appearance was deceptive. Looking ahead, Spectra saw a draconic figure silhouetted by golden light pouring out of the grand arched entrance. It could only be Naas himself.

The sound of mechanical wings whirring against the wind signaled his masters' approach. Naas landed mere feet from Spectra, and he felt the ground shake as the metal dragon's feet hit the rocky surface. The wild haired teen did not even flinch. Small orange sparks flew in the dusky light as the impatient behemoth raked his claws against the stone. Glowing crimson eyes regarded Spectra with interest.

"Brought back some new soldiers, I expect?" Naas' deep voice said, strangely with only the slightest hint of its mechanical origin.

"Yes…I have a Falconeer and a Saurus that I won from our battle with Dan Kuso." Spectra said as he took out the two Bakugan, bowing with hand outstretched.

"Excellent. That Darkness Wave ability of Viperhelios' is most useful. Let the conversion begin."

At Naas' words, Spectra threw the Bakugan as he would before a brawl, and they transformed into their true forms. The Saurus let out a snort of confusion, twisting his head around to figure out where he was. Falconeer screeched in irritation, knowing this was no battle.

"Gaze into my eyes." Naas thundered. Seemingly against their will, the Bakugan turned to obey his command, unknowingly sealing their fates. They went into a trance, staring impassively at the robotic dragon. Thin wires shot out from the dragon's back, injecting themselves into the Bakugan. Almost immediately, they fainted.

Two squat creatures came waddling up to the fallen Bakugan. Useless wings jutted off of their hunched backs, and their faces reminded Spectra of fossil fish. Their big eyes and stubby tails gave them a strangely comical appearance. Mechanical, three fingered hands grabbed the reptile and the bird by their limbs as they were dragged away. Soon they would wake up, and only their skeletal, mechanized bodies would serve as reminders of their former lives. From now on they were loyal to the Beos, not humans.

"Well done, Spectra. Now, I think it's time that Shadow got some experience in brawling. Tell him that he best work on finding an opponent." Naas turned to Spectra as he issued this demand.

"Yes. It shall be done." Spectra bowed and left to find his vain comrade.

* * *

The wind swept through the ninja's hair as he rushed to his final course of the day. The two classes were on opposite ends of the sprawling campus, but Shun didn't mind. He was in good shape, and the run just kept him in top form.

A small electronic jingle made him slink behind a grove of trees away from the other noisy students. He opened his Baku-Pod, shocked to find a challenge to a Bakugan Brawl. It was from a "Shadow", and he was asked to meet by the fountain in the middle of campus at sundown. He returned the device to his backpack and went on ahead to class.

Once in his seat, all Shun could think about was the impeding battle. He still missed Skyress deeply, and brawling wasn't the same without her. None of his other Bakugan talked, though he imagined they could if they wanted to. There was no real connection with any of them. They were just…

_No._ Shun quickly scolded himself, finishing a thought he didn't want in the first place. _They're not just toys._

He knew Bakugan were real beings with unique personalities. But it was really hard to keep reminding himself of this when his Bakugan were silent, motionless rocks. If they were so complex, why weren't they attempting to communicate? Shun felt himself getting frustrated with the whole game. What was the point of even playing it anymore if Vestroia was saved?

* * *

Masquerade sat in front of the glowing computer screen, the concern in his eyes hidden by a veil of bluish purple. Idly he rubbed his fingers over his chin as he thought.

The threat from these new Brawlers was indeed growing. Spectra, Shadow, and Lync were all defeating opponents by the dozens each week and quickly climbing the ranks. There was almost no doubt in the blonde's mind that they were working with the Beos to assimilate and oppress the Bakugan. He lacked definitive proof, but the fact that these Brawlers had suddenly appeared and started issuing challenges was reason enough.

"Are you going to tell the others about this new threat? You should at the very least confide in Alice." An exotic female voice asked from a small figurine on the desk.

It was humanoid and female in shape, deep blue in color, with black triangles that represented long hair and white ones for horns. Semi-circular flaps coming from under the arms showed this Bakugan had wings in her battle form.

"Not yet, Zoracera. I still can't be one hundred percent sure that these Brawlers are really working with the Beos."

Not to mention, Alice was the only one who knew he was still alive…

"I suppose that means some more spying is in order?" Masquerade could hear a tone of excitement behind the words.

"Now that you mention it…" A smile traced the Darkus Brawler's lips. It would not be difficult at all for him to use his dimensional transporter to keep up with going-ons at Naas' lair.

At first he only used the transporter for teleportation to and from Vestroia when he was bored, and it was almost by accident he stumbled upon the Beos' sinister plot to use the Bakugan as new members of their race. The nineteen year old was determined to put an end to their plans, but he knew that he couldn't do so without the help of his former enemies. Especially, he still inwardly gagged at the thought of the name, _Dan._

_Battles are never won alone._ Masquerade reminded himself. He'd need their assistance to win. They couldn't strike now, though, he mused. There was much still left to learn about the weaknesses of these alien creatures.

"It won't be easy to get past Naas unnoticed. I'm all for spying, but we need to be exceptionally careful." Masquerade announced. Zoracera murmured in agreement.

* * *

The rush of water from the fountain was the only sound as Shun waited for the impending battle. Crimson streaks bloodied the evening sky. Shun was more than a little unsettled. How would he fare without Skyress?

"Ready to lose, Shun? It's a shame I was assigned to battle you and not one of the pretty ladies…" Shadow said, sticking out his tongue lewdly before looking at the ground.

Shun's opponent had spiky white hair and unnaturally deep red eyes. His manner of dress showed conceit. He wore black metal shoulder guards that had a brand-new sheen, and matching armor covering his lower arms. A perfectly clean purple vest, cape, and black pants gave him an air of snobbishness. In contrast, his silver boots, sharp red fingernails, silver necklace, and spiky belt all made him look like a wannabe eighties rock star. Strange combination.

"I'm the one who should be asking you that question. Let's get down to business!"

The inter-dimensional battlefield opened, and the two set their gate cards. Shadow had a look of smugness on his face as he threw his first Bakugan onto the field.

"Darkus Laserman, stand!"

A robotic warrior with laser cannons on his shoulders stood on his side of the field, ready to take down any who stood in his way.

"Ventus Monarus, stand!"

A green humanoid butterfly Bakugan appeared on Shun's side. Shun frowned slightly, contemplating his next move.

"Ability card activate! Blow Away!" The two Bakugan were instantly removed from battle, going back to their owner's hands.

"What a cheap trick! Are you going to fight, or run away like a coward?" Shadow's voice mocked as Laserman stood again. This time, Shun went with Ravenoid, an anthropomorphic Raven with deep green feathers and armor covering his body.

"Gate Card open! G-Power swap! Ravenoid, take down that Darkus Laserman now!" The powered up Bakugan dove at his foe with a caw. A gale of wind swept over the now weaker Laserman, knocking him out of the battle.

"Hmmph. You just got lucky! Even still, I'm going to show you true power! Darkus Hades, stand!"

A small purple and black sphere rolled onto the field, revealing a draconic figure upon standing. What lurked behind the white flash of light was unlike anything Shun had seen. A three headed dragon machine made a strange humming roar as triple tails sliced through the air. The otherworldly light of the arena was reflected in its armor plating: a mechanical beast that technology could only dream of creating in the distant future. Six glowing red eyes with white pupils focused on Ravenoid.

"Ability, Triplex Force!"

Hades' jaws opened, and triple beams of energy hit home. The green ball rolled to a halt at Shun's boots.

The dark haired ninja narrowed his eyes at Shadow, showing no other signs of anger. Doubt began to build in Shun's mind.

_I've never fought a Bakugan like this before. Skyress is gone. I don't know if I can win…_

With a fluid motion of his black gloved hand, he tossed Monarus into the fray. The butterfly girl looked the same size as a _real_ butterfly compared to the monstrosity before her.

"Hahahaha! You think that little bug can put the hurt on my dragon? You're funny, really funny! Hades, squash that insect!" Shadow ordered.

"Not so fast! Ability card activate! Light Shutdown!" Shun's Monarus glowed slightly with the gaining strength. A miniature tornado deflected the beams sprouting from Hades' mouths. A puff of smoke came from the nostrils of the middle head as it snorted.

"All the ability cards…in the world…won't defeat us!" The pitch of the words went from high to medium to low as the three heads spoke.

"Now's the time! Energy drain!"

Tendrils of light drifted from Monarus to Hades, draining Shun's Bakugan of power. A giant iron-taloned paw reached over and swatted. The fragile Ventus was thrown across the field by the force of the impact.

"Ready to give up yet, ninja boy?"

Shun clenched a fist, irked more at his own failure than by his opponent's words. Still, he was not giving up until the bitter end.

_I'm counting on you, Ingram._

He smiled as he saw the aforementioned in battle form for the first time. Six pale green Seraph wings spread out to their full size, flapping effortlessly. He sized up the opposition with calm confidence. Scaled hands and feet tipped with sharp claws were his only fearsome features.

"Ability activate! Celestial Wrath!"

A night sky appeared overhead as blazing comets headed for Hades. A glimmer of fear passed over Shadow's face before he quickly decided on his next move.

"Ability activate! Dark Shield!" A transparent purple force field manifested itself around Hades, protecting him. From behind the shield, glowing orbs appeared in his steel maws, growing in size until they were unleashed as beams.

Somehow, they were able to pass through the barrier, and hit Ingram head on.

"_Nooo! Ingram!" _Shun exclaimed as he feel to his knees in defeat, unwilling to believe his opponent had the nerve to use such a cheater's move.

"Well, that takes care of that. Another victory to make my Hades stronger!" Shadow said with a wild look in his eyes as his strongest Bakugan returned to his hand.

"Master Spectra won't be disappointed." He walked away with his head held high, cape fluttering in the wind. The vanity of the act made Shun sick.

"I'm sorry Ingram…I wasn't strong enough…" Shun sighed sadly, looking at the marble in his palm. Suddenly, the small aqua orb popped open.

"Don't worry about it. You did what you could. You can't blame yourself." A deep, heroic voice assured him. Shun's mouth fell open slightly.

"You can talk? Why don't the others?"

"Of course I can. It shouldn't come as a surprise to you. After all, Skyress talked to you, did she not?"

"Yes, she did. And I miss her so much…" His golden eyes drifted downwards.

"I'm sure you'll see her again. As for why the others don't talk, I don't think that all Bakugan trust humans. Not after what Masquerade and Hal-G did."

Shun nodded.

"I have a really bad feeling about Shadow. You may want to tell the other humans about what happened today."

"You're right. Maybe Dan, Alice, Julie, Marucho, and Runo have been challenged as well." Shun replied. He was ecstatic to have another communicating Bakugan. Ingram's words put into perspective the seriousness of the situation. It was his responsibility to make sure the others were aware of it.

* * *

_An oddly tilted pyramidal space station followed the orbit of a blue and brown planet, an oblong pod docking to one side. Inside, lanky creatures that looked like a cross between salamanders, lizards, and fish operated on others of their kind. But the being carried out of the pod was different. Steel plating covered the Tyrannosaur-like head, yet a more organic material could be seen on the sides of the snout. Artificial iron, lightning-blade horns pointed out on either side, dwarfing two spiraled ones slightly behind the eyes. _

_The wings were folded up behind the back, the same strange combination of real and fake. The slightly shorter forelimbs and long hindlimbs hung off of the operating table, and the deadly spiked tail was held down with heavy-duty straps. _

_A black spotted yellow reptilian with a mech jaw, legs, and forearms came over to examine the "patient's" eyes. They were yellow and round-pupiled, like those of an eagle. _

"_Is he certain he wants to go through with the procedure?" The doctor asked one of the lanky guards._

"_It's his desire to have the eye cell prototypes injected into the proper area." _

"_So he knows…"_

"_Yes, he KNOWS of the risks! Just do it!" The guard screamed impatiently._

_The doctor did as he was told, knowing it wasn't worth it to argue with the higher ranking guard. The dragon was motionless as the eyes closed naturally, their organic counterparts being overtaken by tiny machines from within. The guard was shaking almost imperceptibly as he waited. _

_Finally, the metallic lids fluttered open. Two luminous crimson eyes with vertical pupils stared forward. _

"_Spectacular. My sight can now detect infrared, and is twice as sharp. Doctor…your work is a success!" _

_Then came laughter from the beast, reverberating around the entire facility. Primal, eerie._

"_A new epoch for the Beos has begun! One step closer to perfection…"_

_Naas gazed at his guard with the latest success in Beos technology. It would not be long before a new planet's inhabitants would fall to their knees, he thought. _

**A/N:** Chapter 3 has finally been rewritten! I added a little flashback into Naas' past to hopefully get people interested in the character…

Just a heads up, I'll be skipping Julie's and Marucho's next battles so that the story goes a little quicker, but I will mention the results.

As for the Beos, I created them around the time I first heard of New Vestroia. When I heard that the Bakugan were going to be captured in the new series, I imagined it would be by creatures as strong or stronger than them, working together with humans. So that's where the whole alien thing came from. I hope that it isn't too much of a stretch. :P

And just a reminder, Shadow, Hades, and Ingram in this story are all different from the canon versions, since these versions are how I first imagined the characters to be before I saw the show. Also, thanks to Juggernaut69 for suggesting Bakugan and abilities to use! (Ingram's and Hades' I just made up...)

Thanks to those who have left reviews so far or favorited this story, since it gives me the motivation to keep going. If you've read this story and haven't reviewed, please do so! Critique (but not flames) is encouraged, as it helps me to improve, and I still think my writing has a long way to go...


	5. Chapter 4: Meetings and Discoveries

**A/N: **I do not own the rights to Bakugan Battle Brawlers or any of the characters therein. I do however own the concept of the Beos, their leader Naas, and my fan Bakugan Zoracera. No stealing!

Chapter 4: Meetings and Discoveries

The small clock in the corner of Marucho's computer screen read 7:00 PM. He was currently working on a paper for his Sociology course, with his Instant Messenger open. The Brawlers seemed to prefer IM to video chat nowadays. He usually tried not to multi-task, but the paper he was writing seemed relatively simple and he wanted to stay in touch with the others now that classes had started.

The Aquos brawler couldn't help but feel a little out of place at Jennings University. He had skipped two grades since starting school, allowing him to graduate at the early age of sixteen. Marucho didn't know if there were any other sixteen year olds there—most of them looked to be at least eighteen or older. But truth be told, most had the mentality of a person much younger. Eye-rolling always ensued when he heard them gossiping about what so-and-so did after a late night drinking, or the best bars to go to.

"_It's a shame that they spend their money to come to this University, and end up wasting it on parties…"_ Marucho thought to himself. Suddenly, he had an idea. That would be an excellent subject to analyze sociologically in this paper…

A soft "ding" and a small pop-up window alerted him to a new message.

**Storm_Ninja77: **Marucho, we need to talk. It's about Bakugan. Do you have time?

The aforementioned brawler adjusted his red-rimmed glasses as he thought. He was surprised that Shun wanted to talk about Bakugan: none of the friends had been playing the game a whole lot recently.

**Aquos_tactic1: **Of course. What's been going on?

**Storm_Ninja77: **I was challenged today by this new brawler called Shadow.

**Aquos_tactic1:** Shadow? I haven't heard of him. How did the brawl go?

**Storm_Ninja77:** Not good…I lost.

Marucho nearly fell out of his chair in shock. Shun Kazami, losing? Whoever this Shadow guy was, he must have been quite skilled.

**Aquos_tactic1:** WHAT? Really…how?

**Storm_Ninja77:** I think it would be better if we discussed this in person.

We should get all the others together, I think everyone should know. There's something suspicious about that Shadow guy.

Marucho frowned. It must be really important. The Brawlers hadn't gotten together to discuss Bakugan in at least a year.

**Aquos_tactic1:** Okay. How about we all meet together in the Student Resource Center tomorrow morning? I'll call the others and make sure everyone can make it.

**Storm_Ninja77:** Sounds good.

And Marucho…I'm sorry for letting you and everyone else down.

_User Storm_Ninja77 has signed off._

The short blond teen just looked at his screen for a minute, already thinking of strategies that he could use against Shadow. Then, he began calling the others to inform them of tomorrow's meeting.

* * *

The next day, the Bakugan Battle Brawlers sat at a round table near the window, drops of rain running down the glass in rivulets. Dan, Marucho, Shun, Alice, Runo, Julie, and Joe were all there.

It was almost like old times..._almost_ being the key word.

For one, they were all older, their youthful enthusiasm for the game just a distant memory. The start of college had taken up much of the free time they'd use for brawling, and they were all starting to get a feel for the hustle and bustle of working life. Their dedication to protecting Vestroia had not faded; this was something they were destined to carry with them for the rest of their lives, ever since the battle with Naga five years past.

Shun decided to break the silence.

"The reason Marucho and I decided on a meeting is because of what happened yesterday. A Brawler named Shadow challenged me, and I…I lost to him." Shun looked down, still ashamed of his failure. Under the table, his fists were clenched.

"_WHAT?_ You lost, Shun? I can't believe it! I'll take down that Shadow guy! He'll wish that he never would have messed with the Bakugan Brawlers!" Dan shouted in anger, slamming his hands down on the countertop.

"You're one to talk, Dan! Why don't you tell them about your little run in with Spectra!" Runo glared at her boyfriend, irritated by his unwillingness to admit his _own_ failure.

Dan looked down in shame, his face turning red.

"Come on, Dan, tell us what happened!" Julie said.

"Yeah, it's true…I lost to Spectra. Even stranger, his Bakugan, Viperhelios, has an ability called Darkness Wave that allows him to take the defeated Bakugan as his own!"

Runo had a sympathetic look in her eyes. It was probably taking him back to the painful beginning when he lost to Masquerade, and his creatures were sent to the Doom Dimension.

"That's terrible! I've never heard of an ability like that before. And I've been keeping up on the latest Bakugan information for years." Alice said softly.

"It seems like there's a lot we don't know about these new Brawlers and their Bakugan." Joe supposed.

"I propose that we contact one another if either Spectra or Shadow, or any new Brawler, challenges us again. They seem to be far too powerful for any one of us to take down on our own: we'll need to combine forces to defeat them." Marucho reasoned.

"That sounds like a good plan. Let's do it!" Julie said enthusiastically. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Silence overtook the group for what seemed like an eternity to Alice.

She knew that there was one other person who could help them. It wouldn't be right for her to keep it a secret from her friends any longer, especially when said person was one of the strongest brawlers in the world.

Throwing all caution to the wind, she spoke next.

"Guys...there's something you should know. There's one other person who can help us."

A nervous pause. All eyes were on her.

"Masquerade is back."

Everyone gasped.

"But I thought that his mask was destroyed, so he couldn't return?" Marucho questioned.

"So did I. But he appeared to me a few days ago. He's still very much alive. Only now, he's separate from me."

"Very interesting. I do wonder how he was able to cross into our universe…"

"Masquerade could be very helpful to us. If he's willing to, that is." Joe interrupted.

Alice nodded. "I think he would be. And I have a feeling he knows where these new Brawlers came from. He still uses my grandfather's dimensional transporter, after all."

"I bet he _would_ help us. After all, if he wasn't there when I fought Drumen and Centurion, Drago and I would have been toast!" Dan said with a smile.

Alice decided not to mention Masquerade's opinion on that subject.

"How can we be sure if that creep is even on our side?" Runo's question was laced with suspicion, and Alice flinched.

"Runo, he _did_ help out Dan. If it wasn't for him, Dan and Drago may not have made it."

Alice's blue-haired friend just hmmphed.

"Geez, Runo, would it hurt to just show a _little_ gratitude?" Dan said, narrowing his eyes.

"_OKAY!_ Fine, I admit, it was nice of him to save you." Her words were rushed and tense.

Then the two were in a stare down, each daring the other to speak their mind.

Alice sighed. "The next time I see him, I'll ask if he'd mind helping us out. I'll try to find out what he knows about Shadow and Spectra, too."

Joe nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

The seven left, each one mulling over the new realizations in their minds. Except for Dan and Runo, that is: their noisy bickering could be heard all around the room as they left, earning them glares from some studious persons.

* * *

A swirling glow of pale colors brightened the dark corner of the room as Masquerade teleported into the Beos' "headquarters". The room was not accessible from the outside due to security systems, but he was able to bypass that thanks to his dimensional transporter. All he needed were the coordinates of where he wanted to teleport (obtained from a GPS system), input them, and boom, he was there.

Just as he predicted—the room was empty, leaving him free to look for the evidence he suspected was here. It was just one of many in the immense tower, but this one was especially important. It contained rows and rows of cabinets filled with information the Beos (and the humans thought to be working with them) had collected on the Bakugan. If he was right, the documents here were not just harmless observations—they were methodical analyses of the Bakugan's weaknesses.

He really wasn't sure where to start looking, so he went to the nearest file cabinet and opened it.

Inside, he found files arranged by subject, with a particularly large one labeled "TARGET: PRIORITY LEVEL 1". Quickly leafing through the papers, he picked out one at random, and glanced over it.

"_The leaders of the organisms named "Bakugan" residing on this planet are of immense power and skill…"_

"_The research team of humans has given us invaluable insight into how they might be contained…"_

"_Plasma-based force fields prove to be effective in resisting internal breakdown…"_

"_The "Legendary Soldiers" are a roadblock in our plans…"_

Horrified by what he was reading, he picked up another paper. This one was even more grim.

"_Our species can only replicate through mechanical assimilation. The Bakugan are immensely dangerous, but will make our race stronger if they can be overtaken…"_

"_Must be subdued as quickly as possible…"_

"_New methods for capture…abilities…Darkness Wave…"_

Although sickened by what he was reading, he felt a sense of accomplishment. There was no longer any doubt that Spectra and the others were working to help the Beos turn the Bakugan into their own species.

This "Darkness Wave" that Viperhelios used was allowing Spectra to take brawler's Bakugan and bring them to Naas, who transformed them into these…_monsters_…

There was the sound of iron doors sliding open. Masquerade quickly pocketed the papers, and slammed the cabinet shut. His pulse quickened as he prepared for escape. Failure was not an option here.

Looking over to the doorway, he saw none other than Spectra standing in his way. His long shadow seemed to move of its own accord. But no: it was just the way the ceiling lights were flickering behind him.

"Looks like we have a spy in our midst." Spectra's dark voice echoed throughout the vaulted room.

"I'm one spy you're not going to catch. Not without a fight." Masquerade's voice hid all evidence of frayed nerves.

Spectra's reply was obnoxiously simple. "Good luck."

Masquerade ran towards the doorway and Spectra stepped aside casually, as if he knew the intruder wouldn't get far. The mechanical eye in his mask narrowed as he watched Masquerade's white trenchcoat flare out as he rounded a corner.

Just as he turned that corner, he collided with a green clad figure.

"Watch where the hell you're going!" A rather high pitched voice exclaimed.

Masquerade paused and glanced back at the owner of the voice. He was tall and had a nimble air about him. Whether this was due to the teen's light step, or the green cape that fluttered with each movement he made, he wasn't sure. Wild pink spiked hair jutted out on either side, contrasting with his surprisingly bright aqua eyes, which were currently blazing with hate. It seemed as though he was either wearing eyeliner or had very dark eyelashes, adding yet more contrast to the man's already bright irises.

He also took notice of a graceful, yet stern, woman standing nearby. She had turquoise hair and eyes, and dressed in a similar style as all the other humans who were working with the Beos: presumptuous and intimidating. She had a blue cape, and wore silver armor with spots of purple and gold on it.

"Who is that? How did he get into our headquarters?" The woman yelled at the pink haired male next to her.

"I have no idea. But whoever he is, he'll have to face Viperhelios and win if he wants to get home in one piece." He answered as Masquerade's footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Masquerade didn't look back any more as he raced down the long arched hall. He knew Zoracera, or Zora for short, was waiting for him outside. She would be a match for any challenge, including Viperhelios. Or so Masquerade hoped.

He burst through the doors, a vast expanse of dying embers against indigo filling his vision. Such a sight was rare on Earth, but common on the mostly unpolluted Vestroia. A humanoid figure with giant dragon's wings stood in the distance, orange eyes glowing like the stars above.

"Zora! We have to go." Masquerade shouted as he kept running towards her.

Almost as soon as he spoke, a massive crimson and black dragon shook the ground in front of him as it landed, letting out an ear-splitting roar.

Though the Darkus brawler was quite used to evil-looking dragons, this one sent a primitive fear coursing through him, threatening to steal his resolve.

But he'd never let a mere _emotion_ stop him. He hadn't before, and he wouldn't now.

"Viperhelios, we're not going down without a battle!" Came Zoracera's defiant voice.

Without even hesitating, the white-horned, black-haired Bakugan manifested a white orb of energy in her clawed hands, and released it at her foe, hitting him square in the chest. Viperhelios let out a surprised yell of anger as he stumbled, not expecting an attack so soon. A huge cloud of dust formed as the dragon skidded backwards, pupils contracted.

"Pathetic fool! You will regret such a brash move!" A stream of orange flames came from his nostrils, but Zoracera took flight and dodged them just in time.

Meanwhile, Masquerade was edging dangerously close to the edge of the plateau. There was no way he could escape now. Save for one way. He took a deep breath, and could do nothing more but hope it worked.

The dragon-human circled back, heart racing as she saw him jump off the cliff. With all the speed she could muster, she dove, the ebony feathers on the backs of her otherwise reptilian wings rustling in the resistance before she caught the spiky haired teen.

The last thing Viperhelios saw was a blur of light as they teleported back to the safety of their lab. He roared out loud in frustration, causing Spectra to rush out to see what had occurred.

"They got away…that masked Brawler…he teleported away…" Viperhelios' deep growling voice said.

Spectra just smirked. "They'll be back. I can guarantee it. And next time, they won't get away."

Spectra had Naas, the bane of all Bakugan on his side. Once Naas had someone as a target, there would be no escape for whomever unfortunate enough to face his wrath.

Already there were scores of twisting, writhing metal beasts to prove it.

**Author's Notes:** There it is, the edited Chapter 4! I hope you enjoyed it. Feedback is strongly encouraged!

Also, there will still be two more villains from New Vestroia appearing, but I've decided to save the battles with them in it for Chapter 5. So stay tuned!


	6. Chapter 5: Prisoners of the Beos

**A/N: **I do not own the rights to Bakugan Battle Brawlers or any of the characters therein. I do however own the concept of the Beos, their leader Naas, and my fan Bakugan Zoracera. No stealing! (Not that you'd want to anyway, though, right? :D;;; )

Chapter 5: Prisoners of the Beos

Masquerade, now in the safety of his hideout, began to read over the thieved papers, pouring over every detail. He had stolen but a few out of hundreds of documents that were in the Beos' lair. Nonetheless, he knew that having some information was better than having none at all. What he discovered next sent a cold shiver down his spine.

"Zora…you're not going to believe this."

"Try me. What have you found out?"

"The Six Legendary Soldiers of Vestroia have been imprisoned."

"What? That's next to impossible!" Zora was surprisingly loud in Bakusphere form. She fell over backwards, her tiny mechanical arm-wings flapping as she tried to right herself.

"It's not. According to this document, they're being kept under a plasma-based force field, which can't be broken down from the inside. Even if they _were_ to escape, there are human scientists keeping watch over them constantly, monitoring their strength. Naas would be notified immediately." Masquerade explained as he set her upright.

Though he knew there could be no mistake about what he read, it was still tough to imagine. He remembered his battle with Exedra like it was yesterday.

In spite of his loss, Exedra was immensely powerful. He was able to see into the Darkus Brawler's mind, using an illusionary Alice to fight against him. He laughed, boasting that she was no match for him. If she gained confidence, then perhaps she would be. Perhaps even now?

Masquerade knew of no other Bakugan who could read the minds of humans: even Hydranoid and Zoracera were unable to do so. Exedra also had two of the most powerful Darkus abilities in existence: Demon Wizard and Final Wizard. Who knew what else Exedra was capable of? If he and the other Soldiers were on Naga's side, the Brawlers would have been toast.

"Masquerade, we have no choice. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I believe so. We should tell the others about this. We need to defeat Naas and free the Legendary Soldiers! They're counting on us."

Masquerade hated the thought of seeing the others in person, Dan especially, but he had no choice. He was the only one with access to this information, and he wasn't going to let his hatred of Dan get in the way of helping Vestroia.

_How ironic._ Masquerade mused. _I once worked against the Brawlers, but now I need their assistance._

* * *

Dan yawned as he got lazily up out of bed to face another day of class. He picked up his Baku-Pod and a beeping sound told him that he'd gotten three new messages. The first one was from Runo, telling him that she had been challenged by two new Brawlers called Mylene and Lync. The second was from Marucho, who said pretty much the same thing, only he asked that Dan assist them for back-up.

The third was from Masquerade.

Dan knew he was back, but it was still a shock to see a message from his former enemy. There was even a tone of politeness in the blond's voice, but it was obviously forced, script-like. Dan assumed Masquerade's opinion of him had changed since they brawled together in what he thought was their last fight. If it _did_ change, he guessed it didn't change much.

"_Hello, Dan. I'm requesting that you meet me in the park at 11 AM. Everyone else is going to be there, too. There's some very important information all of you need to know. See you later."_

The Pyrus Brawler didn't know whether to be glad, furious, or nervous.

* * *

11 AM finally arrived. The Brawlers stood near a sunlight-painted pond in the middle of the park. Despite the relaxing atmosphere, everyone was very tense.

The infamous glowing portal appeared, and out of it stepped Masquerade, holding the dimensional transporter card between two fingers.

Runo gritted her teeth. "You better have brought us here for a good reason, you masked freak!"

Marucho gave a worried glance from Masquerade to her. "Runo, I don't think your sudden outburst of anger is warranted…"

"I don't care! He worked for Naga and Hal-G! How can we trust him?"

Dan rolled his eyes. "We had this talk before, sheesh!"

A small cough from Masquerade stalled their argument, and he had everyone's attention.

"I know you guys aren't exactly thrilled to see me. Believe me, the feeling is mutual. But there's something very important you need to know."

"As you are aware, my dimensional transporter works anywhere, and ever since Naga and Hal-G have been defeated, I have been using it to keep an eye on what's happening in Vestroia. For a while, everything was normal. Until the Beos came."

Dan's eyes widened. "The Beos? Viperhelios mentioned them when we fought."

"Yes. Long story short, they are a parasitic race of mechanical hybrids that need to infect others to replicate, because they can't reproduce any other way. They've found Vestroia, and are invading it with the hope of turning any and all Bakugan they find into Beos."

Julie gasped. "That's terrible! I hope they haven't gotten poor Gorem…"

"That's only the tip of the iceburg. Their leader is Naas, and he has a team of scientists working under him who study the Bakugan's weaknesses. They've figured out a way to imprison them, and the Six Legendary Soldiers themselves have been captured."

"What? I can't believe it!" Joe exclaimed.

"You'd better. I have the papers to prove it." Masquerade showed everyone the documents. "When I snuck into their headquarters, I stole them. Not only that, but I know exactly who is working with them. There are four very powerful Brawlers: Spectra, the head hancho himself, Shadow, Mylene, and Lync."

Marucho was the first one to look at the papers. "Indeed, these look legitimate." Alice read them over his shoulder.

"Well…this really sucks." Runo said, her tone soft and a look of blank shock on her face.

"What are we supposed to do?" Julie asked as Masquerade turned his back.

"You guys are smart. You figure it out." There was a smirk on his face before he lifted the card and disappeared into the portal.

"Masquerade…I hate it when he does that…" Alice said with a sigh and a distant look in her eyes.

Shun raised an eyebrow at her reaction. Ever since _he_ came back, it seemed as though Alice was keeping more to herself. Shun was torn between jealousy and sadness. He felt like their friendship was about to grow into romance, but now…

"_No, it's probably nothing. I'm just overreacting…" _He tried to convince himself. But the fact that she had been acting oddly ever since Masquerade came back did nothing to assuage his suspicions.

Dan spoke next, interrupting his thoughts. "There's only one thing we can do: go to Vestroia and stop Naas and his cronies!"

"And _how_ exactly are we supposed to get to Vestroia?" Runo glared.

"Dr. Michael's portal in Russia, of course!" Dan said with a grin.

"But my grandfather hasn't used that portal in years. How do we know if it's even going to work?" Alice wondered.

"Well, we can at least say we tried. Let's get going! We can use Marucho's jet."

Dan took off, but he was stopped by a tall teen with spiky pink hair and a stern woman.

"Hey Runo, you didn't forget about our battle, did you? Were you going to run away?" Lync sneered as Mylene appeared by his side.

"It looks like Marucho must have been intimidated by my challenge." The aqua-haired woman said with a self-assured grin.

"Not a chance! Field open!"

Marucho, Runo, and the two foes disappeared into the battlefield before any of the others had a chance to stop them.

* * *

Four gate cards were set as Marucho stood across from Mylene, and Runo across from Lync. Marucho threw a Limulus onto his gate card, facing off against Sirenoid on the same one. Runo went with a Haos Tuskor, and Lync with Bee Striker on their separate gate cards.

"Gate Card open! G-Power Exchange!" Marucho shouted, and the energy was sapped from the legendary mermaid and absorbed by his Limulus. Mylene just quirked a smile at the action.

"Not so fast, kiddo! Ability activate! Anthemusa!" Sirenoid began to play a melody on her harp that lured in Limulus like a weary traveler to an oasis. The trilobite took the bait, and was caught up in a devastating whirlpool.

"I should have anticipated that move…" Marucho said nervously as the Bakugan ball bumped his shoe.

Meanwhile, Runo's Tuskor took out the emerald bee on Lync's gate card with its Nose Slap ability, which allowed it to reach over and attack any Bakugan on any gate card.

"Oh, I see how it is. You like to play rough! I can play that game, if you wish. Bakugan Brawl! Harpus stand!" With a flourish he tossed the green ball onto Runo's gate card, and a bird-like elfin girl appeared in front of Tuskor.

"What? How did you get Harpus? And how did Mylene get Sirenoid?" Runo asked aloud.

"There is more than one of each kind of Bakugan. You, as a top ranked, or should I say _formerly_ top ranked Brawler should know that!" Lync jeered.

If looks could kill, Lync would be nothing but a skeleton right now. "Gate Card open! Light Burst!" The white elephant trumpeted as it gained Haos power.

"Ability activate! Feather Blast!" Harpus cackled as she crossed her wings and a blast of wind and feathers shot toward her foe. The elephant fell to its knees in defeat and in a flash of light it was sent back to Runo in ball form.

"Marucho! Let's work together and take these freaks down!" Runo shouted, and her younger friend nodded. They spoke softly as they tried to figure out a strategy.

"Did you happen to bring any Subterra Bakugan with you?"

"Yes, but only one. Why? Oh wait…I know what the plan is." Runo said with a smile.

"What are you two fools mumbling about? Are you ready to give up already?" Mylene asked. Marucho and Runo just nodded to each other and made their next moves.

"Aquos Warius, stand!"

"Subterra Wormquake, stand!"

Lync and Mylene quickly followed suite, throwing in Harpus and Sirenoid.

"Ability card activate! Correlation between Aquos and Subterra!" Warius and Wormquake were rewarded with an increase in G-power. Lync grinned crazily and Mylene's mouth was pressed into a thin line.

_"Feather Storm!" " Anthemusa!" _

Their tactic failed…the power boost wasn't great enough…the two Brawlers watched helplessly as their Bakugan fell to defeat yet again. Everything seemed a blur. There was no way they'd be losing if…

_"If I only had Tigrerra." _

"_If only Preyas came back…"_

_The teens' minds were lost in the reverie of battling together with their guardians; their partners. They thought they felt a murmur, a whisper of assurance. Someone was calling to them…_

"What in the world? What's going on?" Mylene stared disbelievingly at a speck of light in the distance that was gradually widening to become a portal. Runo and Marucho's eyes widened at the scene unfolding before them. They held out their hands reflexively, and a single orb fell into each of them. They snapped open into little figurines.

"What's up, old buddy old pal!" The statuette hopped about in Marucho's hand.

"Preyas!" A grin a mile wide was on Marucho's face. Then a pause. "But what about Ang…"

Before he could even voice this thought, another orb, half red and half white, fell into his palm.

"Greetings, Master Marucho." Angelo said in that polite way of his.

"Better late than never." A second, gruffer voice chimed in. Diablo.

"It's so good to see you guys again." Marucho's voice quavered with happiness.

"How have you been milady? It's been five years, but even if it had been a lifetime, I wouldn't have forgotten you!" Blade Tigrerra said. Runo smiled broadly, putting the Bakugan up by her cheek.

There was a loud scoff from Lync. "As touching as this little reunion is, can't it wait for later?"

"How were you able to return?" Marucho asked softly.

"No time for explanations, it's time to tear down the house like old times!" Preyas said, ready for a battle.

"Right. Let's go!"

"Bakugan Brawl! _Preyas stand!_"

"It's our turn! _Tigrerra, stand!_"

The blue reptilian jokester and the armored saber-toothed warrior stood side by side like old times.

"Hmmmph! Why can't I fight? I'd turn that mermaid into sushi, and wipe the smiles off their mugs!" Diablo shouted. Marucho mumbled something about Diablo getting his chance eventually, and he reluctantly stayed quiet.

"_Ability activate! Blue Stealth!" _

Preyas waved his hands in front of his face and blended into the background like a chameleon. Mylene's gate card was canceled, and Preyas gained power. Sirenoid looked around in confusion, and was taken out by an invisible kick from behind.

"Now, Tigrerra! _Ability activate! Velocity Fang!"_

Long, Wolverine-like blades came out of the armor on her arms as she charged toward Harpus. In one lightning quick strike, Harpus was taken down, screaming curses at the tigress warrior. Tigrerra stood, back turned and blades crossed in front of her.

"They took out both of our strongest Bakugan like it was nothing!" Lync muttered in disbelief.

Runo threw her fist into the air in victory. "This is just the beginning!"

_Several minutes later…_

Dan, Shun, Alice, Julie, and Joe saw the strange woman and man slumped to the ground in defeat. The two glared angrily at the unwelcome eyes upon them.

"You know, we've beaten fools that brawled just like you two! But apparently their Bakugan hadn't evolved yet. No worries: next time we'll be back, and we won't lose so easily!" Lync stood up straight, never one to be discouraged, and walked away with the same air of confidence as he had entered battle with. Mylene looked ready to snap out in anger, but only silence followed her as she left with her comrade.

Lync narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Don't worry, I have a secret back up plan in place once they get to Vestroia."

"The same one we discussed earlier?"

"Oh yeah! We can track their Bakupods, but this time, someone else will meet them with us!"

* * *

"Sir, a power surge has been detected from the Soldiers!" A scruffy haired scientist said as he examined the readings on his machine. They were off the charts: usually the readings were nothing but a steady green line.

"What are they trying to pull? There's no way they can get out." The lead researcher leaned back in his swivel chair casually, pushing up the glasses that were slipping down the bridge of his nose.

"My guess is as good as yours, sir. Should Lord Naas be notified?"

"Of course. You know he'll have our heads if we keep even one blip of data from him."

The lower ranking man picked up a device that looked like a microphone and spoke into it. Moments felt like hours as everyone in the research facility waited nervously for _him_ to appear.

The doors to the gigantic facility opened with a_ woosh_. The size of the place was made to fit the Beos and their enormous leader, not the humans, who were but visitors in their world. A head crowned with two lightning-bolt shaped rods of steel and two spiraling ones between those peeked inside. Glowing red eyes fixed on the observation deck and the myriad machines at the other end of the room.

_Clang, clang, clang, clang._

Naas' footfalls put everyone on edge.

"What seems to be the problem?" His deceptively calm voice uttered.

"Master Naas, there was a surge in energy detected from the Six Soldiers. They could be trying to escape." The bespectacled lead scientist answered calmly.

A sound like the hiss of steam from a train engine came from Naas as he exhaled. "Let them try. Their powers are futile against our barriers." He flexed his taloned fingers as he saw the Soldiers slumped over, as if exhausted from a battle. Crimson, purple, white, brown, emerald, and aqua forms stood still as statues watching over a land long abandoned.

"Even so, I am to be notified immediately if such an event happens again."

"Yes sir!"

The mechanical dragon lord exited, making as little noise as possible. That was the most terrifying thing about Naas: he could make his presence known or disappear into the shadows at the drop of a hat.

"Bakugan…they might have more strength than these humans, but their technology seems inconsequential. So many, so easily overpowered: they lack a _kaalei-rahh_. But yet, some possess extraordinary abilities, and even the weak will no doubt assist our race by giving us what we lack."

* * *

"Woah, how did you guys win against the Beos' toughest Brawlers?" Julie asked.

"See for yourself." Runo held out Tigrerra, and Marucho opened his hand as well.

"Wow, Tigrerra's back! And so is Preyas!" Dan grinned.

"This is great! But one question: how did they come back?" Joe asked.

"Good question, buddy. I remember hearing a voice telling me that my work was not yet done, or something like that, and lo and behold, a portal to the battlefield in the human world appeared! So I was suddenly warped into that, and tada! I'm here." Preyas said.

"Indeed. Much the same happened with me. The voice I heard was that of Lars Lion, none other than the Legendary Haos Soldier! I could not have been mistaken: I remember her voice clearly from the battle where I fought her with Runo and evolved!" Tigrerra had great pride and respect in her voice.

"And that must have been Frosch who spoke to us." Angelo chimed in.

Marucho frowned. "I hate to be the one to break it to you guys, but we've recently discovered that the Six Legendary Soldiers are imprisoned."

"WHAT? Let me guess, it was those scummy Beos! Lemme at em, I'll show them not to mess with an angry Diablo!"

"That is correct. So how could they have opened a portal?"

Shun closed his eyes. "Don't forget, the Six Soldiers have immense power over Vestroia. Probably more than the Beos realize. I'm sure that opening a portal to send some of the guardians back would have been no problem for them."

"I bet Shun's right! In that case, it's only a matter of time before Drago and everyone else comes back!" Dan said with even more enthusiasm than usual. Everyone else just nodded, hoping that he was right.

* * *

The night of Tigrerra and Preyas' return, the other Brawlers had vivid dreams of their former guardians.

_A three headed dragon with crimson eyes and six shield-like wings stood against a night sky filled with scenery only found in the depths of space. Nebulae with hues of gold, purple, magenta, and blue. Bright white stars of different sizes and uncounted number. Planets: white and rocky, blue and swirling, red and blazing, all as clear as though viewed from a telescope. _

_A flurry of claws and metal limbs was all the rust haired, browned eyed teen saw before Hydranoid stood in front of her and shot orbs of energy down at the creatures. _

_"Our world is under attack…"_

_Elsewhere, a thin teen with wild light brown hair laughed as he felt the wind on his face, clinging to the white dragon lifting him through the clouds. He saw hundreds of tiny amphibian-like creatures swarming the valleys below. Some Bakugan fell under the assault, writhing as they morphed into mechanical abominations, screeching in newfound power. _

_"Our very minds are being overtaken…"_

_A black haired ninja riding on the back of a green phoenix crossed paths with a crimson and orange dragon, upon which sat one of his best friends. They held on tight as their steeds banked right, fighter planes in attack formation. Their targets? The same hybrids Wayvern and Hydranoid were fighting against…_

_"Our once peaceful world has once more fallen into shadow…"_

_A spunky silver-haired girl sat upon the shoulders of a giant moving golem that struck down foe after foe with his mighty hammer._

_"Our leaders have been imprisoned, but we are being called back to you…the Soldiers have gathered their remaining strength to send us to you…Vestroia needs us…"_

**A/N: **Chapter 5 rewritten, now only two more to go, plus I need to write the rest of this fanfic. I'm hoping to get it done before classes start up again, but no guarantees. ^^; So don't expect things to be too prompt if it's after August 23rd...

Also, if you're wondering: _kaalei-rahh, _(pronounced kah-lay-rah), is the Beos word for "soul". I wanted them to have their own language, it's far from complete, though, but I think of random words along the way to add a bit of..."authenticity"...you could say, to this fanfic.

Again, thanks to everyone who's read, favorited, or reviewed this story, it gives me motivation! *thumbs up and cheesy smile* =P


	7. Chapter 6: Unexpected Challenge

**A/N:** I don't own Bakugan. Bakugan is owned by Spin Master, Nelvana entertainment, and Cartoon Network. I do, however, own the concept of the Beos, their leader Naas, Zoracera, and this particular storyline. Thanks to Juggernaut69 for help with creating some of the Brawlers that appear in this chapter! =)

Chapter 6: Unexpected Challenge

The sky was steel the next day. Rain fell in a light mist: not enough to need a raincoat or umbrella if you were going for a short walk, but enough to make everything seem damp and miserable. The Brawler's attitudes were less enthusiastic today, as if they had doubts about going to Vestroia to see the destruction the Beos had wrought.

All seven, including Joe, walked as a group to Marucho's mansion, since it wasn't too far away. This walk also gave them the chance to discuss the most important event so far: the return of their Guardian Bakugan.

"So am I correct in my assumption that the return of Skyress, Drago, Wayvern, Hydranoid, and Gorem were preceded by unusually vivid dreams?" Marucho asked as he wiped some mist off his red rimmed glasses with the edge of his jacket.

"Yes. I dreamt of flying over a huge valley on Wayvern's back. She showed me an army of Beos fighting against the Bakugan. The Bakugan who lost were turned into machines, and fought against those who hadn't been changed." Joe said.

"I'm sure that you know Joe and I have met in dreams before. That's how I showed him the power of the Infinity Core, and Naga's plan to take it for himself all those years ago." Wayvern said as she rode on Joe's shoulder in figurine form.

Shun gave her a quizzical look.

"Speaking of the Infinity Core, how were you and Drago able to come back? Your body was destroyed when you gave up the Infinity Core, and Drago's disappeared when he became the Perfect Core."

Drago was the one to answer his question, perched on Dan's shoulder. "Our bodies may have been destroyed, but our spirits weren't. Wayvern watched over Vestroia as a spirit until the first of the Beos started arriving. I, too, sensed trouble, even though my spirit became part of the Perfect Core which kept Vestroia in balance. We knew the Beos did not belong in our world, and pleaded to the Legendary Soldiers to give us back our forms so we could fight for Vestroia once more."

Wayvern continued. "Our pleas were answered. Using scales that had fallen off, perhaps during our battles, they were able to clone us new bodies. Born of magic and science, we grew very fast. We hatched as adults in only a few weeks."

Julie's mouth hung open. "Wow, that's amazing! So you're clones now?"

"Yes…our bodies are cloned. But our memories of our pasts haven't faded. The Soldiers made sure of that." Drago explained, a little insulted.

"Fascinating. This does tie into a theory of mine, that the spirit is able to hold onto memories over many lifetimes, and it is probable to believe there's a way to transfer them into a body…but how could such a thing happen…I see no scientific way…" Marucho muttered to himself, lost in his own musings.

"I don't know how they did it, either, but we're back, and that's all that matters." Drago said, and Marucho ceased his philosophical talk.

"Yeah, and I'm so glad that we can finally kick some butt again as a team!" Dan exclaimed, winking and giving a thumbs up. Maybe the weather wasn't dampening his spirits after all.

"I thought I'd never see Skyress again…" Shun whispered as he held the aforementioned close to his face.

"Shun…don't worry, I'm here now." Skyress was glad to be reunited. She never figured a human would mean so much to her, but their bond was deep.

"Same with Hydranoid and I." Alice said.

"Even if we weren't able to return, there's no way we'd forget you, Alice." Hydranoid said in that dark, yet oddly caring voice of his.

"Just wait till you two get the chance to battle as a team again." Runo grinned broadly, remembering brawling with Tigrerra yesterday. Marucho nodded, agreeing.

"Yeah. But still…"

"Is something worrying you, Alice?" Shun prodded, hoping for a sincere reaction from her. She trusted him, didn't she?

"_I bet she misses _him. _I know there's something going on between them, and she's hiding it from me."_

"There is, actually. I can't help but be worried about fighting those Beos when we get to Vestroia. Who knows how strong they are. Even worse, they could turn our Bakugan against us…turn them into…"

Shun was almost disappointed that she didn't mention her alter ego. If she did, at least he'd have more proof to back up his theory.

"_I'd never admit this to anyone except myself and perhaps Skyress, but there's a deeper reason I'm worried. I don't want to lose her friendship. After losing my mother, I don't think I can handle another fading from my life…if she _is_ romantically involved with Masquerade, it's likely we'll drift apart…"_

"Have faith, Alice. As evolved Bakugan, we're at less of a risk than you'd think. Most Beos don't stand a chance against us. As all of you saw in your dreams." Skyress encouraged.

"If we all fight together as a team, taking down the Beos will be no problem. Even better: we have our human partners at our sides now, and they give us strength." Drago looked at Dan.

"Yeah! We can do it, can't we Gorem? We can show those stupid Beos that they came to the wrong planet!" Julie said, hugging Gorem close.

"Julie…don't hug so…hard…can't…breathe…" He choked out, and she stopped. Her shows of affection were just too enthusiastic for his liking sometimes, but that didn't mean he wouldn't protect her at all costs.

Soon, Marucho's mansion came into sight, and the group talked some more about their dreams and the return of their Guardians as they walked up the steps, until the young blond interrupted them.

"This is it, guys. Kato will be flying us to Russia to get to Dr. Michael's lab."

"Then…we're in for the battle of a lifetime!" Preyas flapped his arms, half nervous and half excited.

Marucho rang the doorbell, and Kato, an older gentlemen dressed in a captain's outfit with grey hair and glasses, answered the door.

"Greetings Master Marucho. Is everyone ready for the flight?"

"Yes. Everyone is here and we're set to go!"

"Let's not waste any time, then. All aboard!"

* * *

The flight to Russia was uneventful. Aside from a little turbulence, it was a smooth ride. (Which Alice was grateful for: flying always made her a little nervous, even though she hated to admit it.) There weren't any arguments: most likely because everyone was so thankful to be reunited with their Guardians, and contemplating what battles they'd face when they got to Vestroia.

Finally the plane began its descent out of the clouds, and the land below came into view. The forests of Russia were nothing more than a green carpet from this height, dotted with the tiny squares of civilization.

"So Drago, are you as strong now that you're a….you know…CLONE?" Preyas said dramatically.

The Dragonoid just seethed. "I'm a match for any Beos, and that's all that matters!"

There was an awkward pause, until Wayvern spoke next.

"Drago…you're forgetting to tell them...that both of us aren't as strong…" Her voice faltered slightly.

"What? Why didn't you tell us this right away?" Dan shouted as he stood, only to fall back in his seat when the plane hit an air current.

"When our bodies were growing, the speed of our growth had an impact on our power. It took more energy for us to become adults so quickly, and as a result, we are only half as powerful as we were at the end of the battle with Naga." Drago explained solemnly.

Joe's eyes went wide. "Does this mean that you age faster as well?"

Both dragons nodded.

"Not to worry…by the time we're old, you'll be quite old as well, if you're still around. Both Drago and I at least have another seventy years in our bodies. Drago probably longer than I…us non-attributed Bakugan have shorter lifespans." Wayvern informed.

Dan smiled in relief. "That's good…I don't know what I'd do without you, buddy! It was hard enough when you returned to Vestroia. Speaking of which, what happened to the Perfect Core?"

"The Perfect Core is holding even without me there. It's likely that some of my power went into keeping it stable."

Marucho nodded, analyzing all that was said as usual.

"Will you two be able to get any of your former power back?" Shun asked.

"It's possible some will return through winning battles…but unfortunately, we'll never be as strong as we once were."

There was a _thunk_ as the plane's landing gear popped out.

"This is unfortunate news, but we'll still be able to win by fighting and working as a team." Tigrerra said.

"That's right! If we were able to beat Naga, this Naas character won't stand a chance!" Dan boasted.

The Bakugan said nothing…they _hoped_ they could win against him, of course…but they had never faced the leader of the Beos himself in a battle. Who knew how powerful he was, what sinister tricks were held in his mechanically enhanced, yet organic, brain…

The wheels squeaked as they made contact with the runway, and a short moment later the Brawlers left the plane, and began their walk towards Dr. Michael's lab. It wasn't that far, after all…

Six kids with Bakugan launchers, no older than maybe fifteen, stood in their way, unwilling to budge an inch. Dan was miffed.

"Who are you jokers?"

A stern boy with silver hair in ninja-esque clothes stepped forward as spokesman of the group.

"We've heard of your losses at the hands of Spectra and the others. You guys used to be at the top of the ranks, but no longer. We thought we'd challenge you to a brawl: two against two. We'll see just how much you've fallen out of practice!"

Dan glared at the boy: a Ventus brawler judging by his green launcher. "What do you say guys? Let's show them we haven't given up our titles of the greatest Bakugan Brawlers!"

They nodded in agreement, although Joe was content to sit on the sidelines for now. Dan teamed up with Shun, Runo with Alice, and Julie with Marucho. Everyone took out their Gate Cards, yelled "Field, open!", and the fight was on.

"You never told us your names." Shun looked at the ninja-wannabe across from him.

"I'm Kris."

"And I'm Maximillion, Max for short." Replied a tan-skinned boy with wild orange hair wearing a red and black outfit. Certainly a Pyrus brawler.

"My name's Jennifer." A tall, thin blond haired girl with a vaguely Western outfit introduced herself to Julie and Marucho.

"And mine is Aaron." The boy next to her said. He wore a dark blue trenchcoat with shirt and pants of a lighter blue. He had glasses and short sandy brown hair that fell in loose curls around his face.

"Cynthia." A girl with ebony hair in Alice's style, clad in a black jacket with the Darkus symbol emblazoned on the back snapped tersely. She also wore matching jeans and combat boots.

"I'm Crystal." The girl across from Alice and Runo introduced herself. She was wearing what seemed to be a school uniform, mostly white, and had long green hair tied back into a ponytail.

"Alright. Now that introductions are over, let's brawl! Gate Card, set!" Dan made the first move. Max and everyone else followed suite.

"Are you ready Drago?"

"As much as you are, Dan!"

"Okay! Bakugan Brawl! Drago, stand!"

A whirlwind of flames morphed into smoke. Twin emeralds peered through the haze before a roar was heard, and with a powerful flap of the Dragonoid's wings the view was cleared. Dan smiled. He looked just like he did in their last battle against Naga, plated in red, gold, and white armor from head to tail, but without the Infinity Core, of course. His head was crowned with a horn of metal blades, and the motif was repeated to his tail tip.

"I'll go next. Bakugan Brawl! Ventus Skyress, stand on Drago's gate!" Kris said.

"Woah, he has a Skyress, too? Oh well. I can see this one hasn't evolved like Shun's Skyress! Gate card open! Fire Pit!"

Drago roared as his body absorbed the wrapping flames, boosting his power by 150 G's.

"Ability activate! Gust!" A whirlwind spiraled from the green phoenix's wings, gaining power as it swept towards Drago.

"Not so fast! Boosted Ultima!" A blast of flames met the gust of wind, overpowering it.

"Haha! It looks like we still have the skills!" Dan said as he caught the ball in his hand, and then whispered to Drago, "It sure doesn't seem like you lost much power."

"But I have. If this was a Storm Skyress, the match would have ended differently." The Ultimate Dragonoid explained.

Meanwhile, Shun's Ravenoid was putting up a major fight against Max's Pyrus Dragonoid, who looked just like Drago's first form only thinner and spikier. Max used Boosted Dragon as his second and final ability card and Ravenoid lost, but not by much.

Shun glared at his opponent. "This isn't over yet! Gate Card, set! Ingram, stand!"

"Ah, so this is the other Bakugan whom you've made friends with?" Skyress asked, intrigued. Shun nodded with a smile as he watched Max throw his Dragonoid onto Ingram's gate card.

"Gate Card open! Spires!" Two spires appeared and Ingram glowed before unleashing tornado-force winds that struck the red dragon down. A high-pitched sound of exasperation came from Max: Shun looked at him, wide eyed. He didn't think his opponent would lose his cool so fast!

"It looks like Shun is fairing better than I…" Marucho sighed as he watched his Limulus get sucked into a Depth Tornado created by Aaron's Juggernoid.

"Hmmmph. I expected more from you. You're supposed to be one of the top Aquos Brawlers! _Klaus_ put up more of a challenge…" Aaron said, his cool, confident tone mocking the younger teen.

"Don't let that jerk get to you Marucho! Let me and Gorem teach him a thing or two!"

Marucho frowned and narrowed his eyes. "Thanks for the offer Julie, but this is between thw two of us. Gate Card, set! Preyas, stand!" Julie turned her attention to battling Jennifer at the same time.

"Guess who's back in the game? That's right, me baby, me!" Preyas was still the jokester Marucho remembered so well.

"Let's see how well your lizard stands up to the brute force of Juggernoid!" Aaron threw said Bakugan onto Preyas' gate.

"Oh no! That turtle is bigger than a house! Hurry, I need a power up!"

"Gate card open! Whirlpool!" Preyas' G's increased by 200, but it still wasn't enough to match Aaron's superpowered Juggernoid.

"Haha, that's it? Ability activate, Super Shard!"

"Energy…fading…man, I need a Red Bull!" Preyas said, slouching over as the power he gained was lost.

"I can counter that easily. Ability activate, Blue Stealth!" Suddenly, Preyas had the upper hand, and Aaron could only watch in surprise as his Juggernoid was defeated by a narrow victory.

"Hah, I've seen better…I'm not done yet!"

…So involved was Marucho in his battle that he didn't notice Dan whooping loudly in victory as Kris' third Ventus Bakugan lost to Drago…

"Wow, I didn't even stand a chance! You may not be as strong as you once were, but even at half power I can't beat you." Kris was crestfallen.

"Hey, cheer up! It was an honor to battle you. Keep practicing, and in no time you'll be as strong as Shun over there! You know, the way you battle reminds me a lot of his strategies when he first started." Dan winked and put his thumb to his nose.

"Really? Thanks, Dan. I'll have to keep trying. Sorry about my attitude earlier."

"That's okay, it happens to the best of us."

As Dan and Kris were chatting, Shun was on his fourth battle with Max. Ingram lost after his second win, so now it was Storm Skyress against a Pyrus Robotallion.

"Ability Activate! Destruction Meteor Storm!" Skyress crossed her wings as a rain of green energy orbs bombarded the ground below, the Robotallion unable to stand against the onslaught.

"Impossible…" Max's voice broke. Shun glared, thought of saying something, but knew he would regret it.

"Shun…" Skyress said, wanting him to give words of encouragement to the Pyrus brawler.

_Oh, alright. _"Hey Max…you put up a good fight." The ninja offered his hand to the other teen. Max smiled, and shook it in thanks as he stood up.

Meanwhile, Marucho looked on in surprise as a Sirenoid took out Preyas with Anthemusa. Preyas' ball clattered to Marucho's feet as he clenched his fists, refusing to give up that easily.

"Gate Card, set! Diablo, stand!" An evil looking version of the lizard-like Preyas, complete with devil wings and horns, grumbled angrily.

"Okay, that's it! I've had enough of your attitude! Be prepared to get burnt!"

Aaron ignored the insult and threw Sirenoid to stand on Diablo's gate. Marucho opened the trap, and Sirenoid was stuck in quicksand. When Aaron tried to counter, he realized it was too late to do anything.

"Quicksand makes sure that the Bakugan with the lowest G-power wins the battle. This time your Sirenoid's high power level worked against you."

"Hey, are you calling me weak? You'd better not be! If you are…" Diablo warned.

Aaron just smirked. "Are you really so sure that you're going to win? Gate Card, set! Aquos Stinglash, stand!" A blue scorpion-like Bakugan with a vaguely human face appeared on the battlefield.

"Bakugan Brawl! Angelo stand this time!" A reptile standing on two feet with white angel's wings and a white ribbon around his chest stood across from Stinglash, complaining about being woken up from his nap.

"Sigh. Another battle so soon? And against a Stinglash of all Bakugan! He has a face only a mother Stinglash could love…"

"Gate Card, open! Character card! Ability activate! Abyss Ruler!" Suddenly Stinglash had double his normal power level, plus 100G's.

"Ability activate! Break!" With Marucho's move, the scorpion was down to its base G level, but was still stronger than Angelo thanks to Abyss Ruler.

"Hah! I still have one card left to play! G-Power Increase!"

Diablo shouted from the sidelines. "Crap, that blasted Stinglash still has more power! Play your trump card Maruch!"

"Special Stealth! This is an ability that only Angelo or Diablo can use. It adds 200 G's to my power level!" Angelo became invisible and sent forth a gale, along with blinding light that pained the arthropod.

"Good always trumps evil! Unless you're Diablo." Angelo said, crossing his arms.

"Yes! We did it! We won! I wonder how the others are faring?" The blonde looked around, oblivious to the evil eye that Aaron was giving him.

Right next to him, Julie was battling Jennifer. Both of them had Rattleoids, and used Poison Fang. The serpents were entangled in a mass of coils, each one trying to suffocate the other, not caring whether venom or brute strength smothered their foe. Hissing, Julie's Rattleoid stuck the other in the snout with its spiny tail, and was freed from the rib-crushing grip. Then, they struck in unison, mirror images of each other, and both reverted to ball form at that moment. It was a tie!

"What? Well, that just won't do. Let's show them, Gorem! Gate card, set! Gorem stand!" A statue-esque giant with a king's face and bull horns stood ready to fight Jennifer's Rattleoid, double-sided hammer slicing through the air.

"You show 'em, Julie! Hey, it looks like Runo finally won! That was some battle." Dan said. He was watching everyone else fight on the sidelines with Drago.

"Crystal's Hynoid was a powerful foe, but still no match for my Velocity Fang." Tigrerra was full of pride. Runo smiled, and walked over to sit beside Dan.

"You know, even though Crystal lost, she actually gave us a pretty good fight. She made good use of the Power Triangle and Haos Freeze abilities."

"Oh really? Maybe you're starting to lose your touch!" Dan quipped.

"Are you kidding? Tigrerra and I can take on anyone. How dare you insult me!"

"Hmmph! Is that a challenge? Even at half power Drago could beat you!"

"Yeah, but Tigrerra is much stronger since our battle years ago!"

Neither Drago nor Tigrerra decided to participate in the heated and pointless argument. As their partners continued the debate, a Darkus Centipoid curled up, thudding to the ground as violet flames licked its armored body. A deafening screech from a black phoenix made Alice cover her ears.

"No, Centipoid!" The ball nudged against her white boots, harmless.

"Why do you care so much if your Bakugan lose? It doesn't hurt them any…" Cynthia said in a deadpan voice, apparently unable to understand what made Alice so attached to hers.

"How could you say such a thing?"

A brief pause as Alice waited for the answer that never came from the other Darkus Brawler.

"Bakugan, brawl! Darkus Laserman, stand!" A robot with four cannons on its back stood on the card diagonal from Cynthia's Darkus Skyress. "Ability activate! Leap sting!" Short bursts of laser blasts hit their mark, the phoenix making an agonized wail as it felt pain shooting through its wings and chest.

Alice felt very sorry for the Darkus Skyress as it fell: a once powerful bird now a crumpled heap of feathers on the ground. But she knew the attack wasn't fatal: no attack was. The only place Bakugan could die was in the Doom Dimension, or perhaps back in Vestroia in certain battles. And also…the Beos…

"I wouldn't have expected that kind of attack from you, Alice. Have you been taking lessons from Masquerade?" Cynthia asked, in an irritatingly emotionless voice. This girl seemed to be as dull as they come, really at odds with her appearance. Not to mention, she had a knack for poking at people's weak spots.

Telepathically linked as they were, it was no surprise to Alice that Masquerade commented. Expert Brawler that he was, having experienced the thrill and frustration of countless battles, he knew whenever his "other" had entered one.

"_Don't let her get to you Alice. Not to mention, that information is none of her business." _He embellished the last sentence almost playfully.

This helped her put her previous thoughts aside, and throw Laserman into the fray again.

Cynthia went with a Darkus Reaper, both standing on her gate card.

"Gate card, open. Mind ghost!" In a blinding flash, both the Reaper and Laserman were taken out. A loss for both players.

"_What a reckless move! What on earth is she thinking?" _Alice wondered. It was time to bring out the ace.

"Gate card, set! Alpha Hydranoid, stand!" Three roaring heads crested with elaborate fins and horns and mouthfuls of jagged teeth glared in the direction of their opponent, waiting.

"We may not be Masquerade's Bakugan any more, but that doesn't mean we are any less powerful!" Hydranoid growled darkly, wondering if Cynthia would show any emotion.

She did. A glimpse of fearful features, but they quickly returned to their stony expression. "Darkus Wormquake, stand." A giant worm with a lamprey's mouth faced the dragon.

"_Ha. It seems she's not as brave as she'd want you to believe, Alice. I think you're not the only one taking lessons from me, though in her case it is mere imitation…"_

"Gate Card, open! Wall lock!" Now Cynthia was unable to play abilities. With Hydranoid being stronger, it didn't look good for Wormquake.

Triple maws opened, releasing dark blasts of energy: the usual fate that awaited anyone who dared to face Masquerade back in the day. He grinned widely somewhere on Vestroia, lost for a moment in the pleasure of Alice's victory and how it reminded him of the good old days.

"So, you won. Big deal. The winner gains absolutely nothing." Cynthia's cold eyes fixed themselves on Alice one last time, before she turned and began walking away, sitting in a far away section of the battlefield by herself, but soon she was joined by Aaron. Well, at least she had one friend…and Alice was thankful, because otherwise she'd probably feel guilty after seeing her by herself and the fact that she didn't reach out to her. Frankly, she was glad she it was a task that she didn't need to take on.

"Alright! Alice joins the winner's circle!" Dan welcomed her over from afar.

"It appears Julie has succeeded as well." Hydranoid said, watching Gorem's victory over a leveled up Garganoid on the other side of the field.

"Yay, Gorem! We did it! I love you, Gorem! You're the best Bakugan anyone could ever have, I'm so glad to have you back!" Julie was surging with praise as usual, holding Gorem's figurine form up by her face.

"At last! Everyone has succeeded. Now the way is clear to go to Vestroia, and confront Naas and the Beos." Drago's voice was filled with determination.

"But wait, why isn't the battlefield fading?" Shun asked, but soon his question was answered as Skyress began to glow, just like she did before ev…

"I suddenly feel so much stronger." Gorem said. He, too, was starting to glow. And so was Tigrerra.

"Ugh…I feel sick…" Preyas said, and he coughed up a small orb. Another Bakugan.

"They're evolving to their final forms!" Marucho was completely thrilled to see the rest reach the pinnacle of evolution. He picked up the Bakugan ball at his feet, watching the transformation of the others unfold before his eyes.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for what seemed like an eternity before the reborn Guardian Bakugan were revealed.

"I have reached my strongest level. I am now Zephyrus Skyress!"

Shun was awestruck at her transformation. Four emerald wings stretched out to their full wingspan, easily exceeding twenty-five feet. The primaries were tipped with silver, contrasting beautifully with the shades of green. Her talons were larger and sharper, silver, deadly. A gold-engraved helmet with enormous antelope horns was a new addition, and so were the thin spines down her back and a Harpy-eagle's feather crest.

"And I am now Gaia Gorem." He now wielded an anvil, with a larger crown on his head adding to his regality. Gold designs, the Subterra symbol among them, were etched into his arms and chest. In addition, the grass on his shoulders now had small trees growing from it. Gorem was an Ultimate now and had the looks to match.

"I am now an unmatched Haos warrior. I am Saber Tigrerra!" She still stood on two legs as in her previous form, but her main weapon was a wicked crossbow instead of the blades. Her tail was short like a sabertooth's, and she was slightly more muscular. Long saber-teeth complimented her fierce appearance. Her armor hadn't changed a whole lot, but it had more intricate designs.

"Tigrerra, you look awesome! We can really kick butt now!" Runo was happier than ever. So were Julie and Shun, who were complimenting their new Bakugan's appearances.

"How does it feel to be an Ultimate Bakugan, Skyress?" Shun asked.

"It's wonderful! I've never felt such power."

"Welcome to the Ultimate Bakugan Club." Drago laughed. "It's good to see that my friends have come this far. Congratulations to you all."

"But who's Marucho's new Bakugan?" Dan asked, poking the ball.

"STOP THAT! And for your info buddy, I am Carcharo Preyas." He sounded a little darker than Preyas, and his figurine form looked fiercer. "But you'll have to wait to see what I look like. The only way I don't get stage fright is during a battle…" He said nervously, flapping his arms.

"Woah, this is so cool! It seems like this battle gave the rest of our Bakugan the strength to reach the final level." Marucho said as the battlefield faded.

Finally back to Earth so to speak, the Brawlers and their "foes" shook hands, congratulating each other on a good brawl. Well, except for Cynthia and Aaron, who gave Alice and Marucho the cold shoulder, walking away with a very pissed off aura.

Everyone breathed a mental sigh of relief, glad for one less obstacle in their way. But they were well aware that the road ahead wouldn't be any easier…

**A/N:** There it is, the rewritten chapter 6! Now, a bit of explanation…

With Aaron I decided to have him be a sort of villain-type character, since you don't see many "evil" Aquos Brawlers. (Okay, Klaus was the enemy for a while, but he became good in the end so he doesn't count, and Mylene doesn't count since I'm only talking about the original series here.) And instead of having a cool Darkus Brawler, as most in the series have been, I decided to make her an unlikable character for a change. xD As for the other Bakugan evolving...well, I was disappointed that we didn't get to see them evolve further. So that's why I wrote that. :P

In the next chapter, they'll finally get to Vestroia, and I'm looking forward to writing a lot more plot-related stuff. Also, Masquerade will brawl in the next chapter, and play a bigger part. As for what else happens, I'm not going to give too much away. =P

Please review! Again, no flames please...but I like constructive criticism...and I always like compliments...lol.

P.S.: I did do the G power calculations for these battles, but I decided not to include them since I don't see them as necessary unless you're roleplaying or doing the actual game…


	8. Chapter 7: The Return to Vestroia

**Author's Note:** I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers or any characters except the Beos (including Naas), Zoracera, the slightly-altered versions of the villains presented here, and the storyline. Enjoy, and please read and review!

Chapter 7: The Return to Vestroia

Dr. Michael's lab was left almost exactly the way the Brawlers remembered it five years ago: the steel gray walls and plumbing resembled a basement, not an inter-dimensional research facility. The large portal was in the back of the room, hooked up to computer screens and various control panels. Marucho was the first to walk up to the platform and start inspecting the controls.

"This is all so fascinating…too bad Dr. Michael is away, otherwise I'd like to ask him about the inner workings of dimensional transportation." Marucho said.

"When we get back, I'm sure he'll be happy to explain it all to you." Alice smiled. Her grandfather was the kind of scientist eager to share his research: not just to other PhD's, but also to the general public. "But now, we'd better get going." The others nodded, and after a brief silence, she went up to the controls and continued.

"As soon as Masquerade told us about the Beos, I asked my grandfather about it, thinking he'd have some insight. He said he noticed some strange signals coming from Vestroia, but he knew it was too dangerous to go investigate himself. He knows that we are the ones with the experience brawling, and is counting on us." Alice said as she pushed a few buttons on the panel.

"All of Vestroia is counting on us…we have to save it, once and for all!" Dan said, punching a fist into the palm of his gloved hand.

"That's what we said last time, but there's always trouble afoot!" Preyas said with a sweatdrop.

A low-pitched buzz followed by the sound of sliding doors signaled that the gate to Vestroia was open.

"All right guys, let's go!" Julie said enthusiastically. All seven Brawlers, Joe included, made their way up to the doorway filled with electric blue light. One by one, they disappeared into the glow.

They felt weightless and lost sense of time as they were transported to Vestroia, and after only a few seconds they landed on the ground of the familiar planet. Alice was the first one to notice the presence of a white-coated figure walking toward them, the soles of his black boots crunching against the dirt.

"Took you guys long enough." A brazen smirk played across Masquerade's features.

"We were delayed." Shun said in an unusually tense tone.

"Yeah. Some kids challenged us to a brawl. They were pretty good, but we beat 'em." Dan winked and did a thumbs-up.

"Hmph. I'm surprised you still have the skills." The blonde replied. _The cheap cheater moves you use, that is…_ Was what he really thought about saying, but he decided it would be best not to be too hostile towards Dan. At least for now.

"I sense someone approaching. Another powerful Bakugan is nearby." Drago's voice interrupted. Masquerade already saw data appearing on the strangers' Bakugan from inside his high-tech visor.

In the distance, two figures were walking casually in their direction. The blonde with the jester-like coat Dan immediately recognized as Spectra, just as Shun knew the rocker-wannabe as none other than Shadow.

"It looks like they're coming back for a rematch! Come on Shun, let's show these guys how strong we really are now that we've got our guardians back!"

"No Dan! You and Drago should go on ahead…find Naas! Joe and I will handle Spectra for you." Wayvern said. Joe was surprised.

"Are you sure, Wayvern?"

"Yes, Joe. I still have a small part of the Infinity Core's power within me…even in this new body. It isn't as strong as before…but nevertheless, it remains."

"I can take down Shadow for you." Masquerade looked at Shun, who seemed insulted.

_I knew it, Masquerade is calling me weak. I'm sure he's been meeting Alice in secret, and now this. _

"Skyress and I can handle him." His amber eyes were narrowed in defiance.

"No. Wayvern is right. You all need to go on ahead to find Naas before it's too late." Zoracera said. Alice looked surprised at the voice of the new Bakugan: she hadn't really thought about whether or not he got a new guardian, but if he did, she would've expected it to be another Reaper or even another Hydranoid, if there were more than one.

"Come on Dan, let's go! Quit being so stubborn." Runo said, but her voice wasn't nearly as harsh as usual.

_One day I'm going to prove to him that my skills have only improved. _Shun thought, giving Masquerade one last glare as he left with Julie and Marucho, who were following behind Runo and Dan. The glare didn't go unnoticed by Alice, who carefully stuck to the back of the crowd.

Spectra and Shadow stood in front of the two players, watching as their friends left. Spectra's electric blue eye that unsettled so many didn't bother Masquerade: he knew it was just a part of his mask. A very high-tech one, at that.

"It looks like your back up is abandoning you. Whatever shall you do now?" Spectra's voice was even; calm. Already he was calculating the power of Zoracera and Wayvern, just as his opponent had done earlier with Viperhelios. Neither knew what abilities each possessed, but Spectra was confident that nothing could stand against him.

"We don't need any back up. It will be our pleasure to take down you two freaks personally." Masquerade said with that ever-familiar arrogance.

"Freaks? Look who's talkin'! You know that mask of yours is so outdated. And who's the girly-dude you brought along?"

Joe actually seemed upset by the remark, but his spiky haired companion just smiled and laughed at the lame insult. Ironically, his former enemy's jubilance was…reassuring.

"One thing about humans that I will never understand is your need to hurl insults at one another. Enough! Let's battle!" Wayvern yelled. Joe was surprised: he hadn't seen Wayvern angry in ages…if ever.

Four gate cards were set. Joe went with a Haos Siege first, facing off against a Darkus Rattleoid on Spectra's gate card. Masquerade's Wormquake was standing off against Shadow's Fear Ripper, on the former's card.

"A Darkus Rattleoid? I've never seen one of those before. Even though it's neat, it has no chance against us. Ability activate! Haos Javelin!"

The Siege jabbed the spear of his javelin into the card, and cast it aside, replacing it with one of Joe's.

"Now your gate card is useless. What do you have to say to that?" Joe grinned.

"Let's see if your Siege would like a taste of venom. Poison Fang!" The black and purple serpent bit the aforementioned Bakugan, a strangely crazed look in its slit-pupiled eyes as it injected the venom, matching Spectra's wolfish grin. Rattleoid was soon ahead by 150 G's, and increasing. Siege's G's dropped by the second as the ability worked its effect.

"Gate card open! Crushing Blow! Since Siege now has the lower G power, by more than 200, he automatically wins." He caught the Bakugan in ball form as it returned to his hand.

Spectra's grin faded, but his taunting tone didn't. "Ah. One of those old gate cards that benefits the weak. I'm sorry to say that your efforts to beat me are futile. Centipoid, stand!"

As Siege fought against the giant centipede, Masquerade's Mantris held up Shadow's Fear Ripper by strings of energy. The fierce Bakugan was helpless as it was strung up in a marionette, and fell unceremoniously onto Masquerade's gate card.

"Gate Card open. Haunted Night." The arena went dark, a starry sky appearing over their side of the battlefield. Mantris slashed out with its spiked forelegs. Ripper held its arms up over its head, trying to shield itself.

Shadow raised a thin white eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"You know that your card gives me a boost, too, right? Spice Slayer!" Energy flowed from the Mantris to the clawed demon. Shadow was ahead now, and Mantris was KOed.

"Hmmph. That's a move I would've used. It looks like your technique is as unoriginal as your outfit." Masquerade loved taunting his opponents.

Smirk. "Oh yeah? You haven't seen anything yet. I'm just gettin' warmed up!"

Masquerade threw Darkus Laserman into the battle: a giant robot armed with shoulder cannons. Foolishly, Shadow had his Fear Ripper stand on the gate card opposite the machine.

"Ability activate. Chaos of Darkness." The robot pivoted and took aim with its cannons, firing a volley of shots at Shadow's Bakugan.

"WHAT? Crap, I forgot all about that ability. Argh! This isn't over yet, you hear?" Shadow was spazzing out, stomping his feet like a kid throwing a temper tantrum. He knew he had gotten too lazy, letting his win against Shun go to his head…Spectra, not to mention Naas, would be livid if he lost.

As Shadow set his own Laserman into the game, Masquerade took a quick look over to see how Joe was doing. Though his Siege lost against Centipoid, Wayvern won against it without a problem. Now she was fighting against Viperhelios himself. The massive dragon had a look of pure hate in his blood-red eyes.

"Are you aware that none have escaped the Darkness Wave? _None!_ Now, experience it for yourself." Helios spoke, growling his words out as he always did. His very breath seemed to draw in power, purple-tinted smoke flowing into his nostrils. A deep violet glow could be seen from within his maw, growing in intensity until he unleashed the blast at the white dragoness. Waves of black smoke followed in its wake.

The blast was so powerful that all the brawlers were knocked off their feet. When the smoke cleared, Spectra was dumbfounded at the sight before him. Wayvern was still standing!

"_Impossible!_ Darkness Wave is so powerful that none have escaped from it. How could she have withstood it?" Spectra's voice was darker and angrier than Shadow had ever heard it before. He was truly pissed. At least not at _him_, though.

Behind his mask, his eyes widened. _Is it possible that the Beos lied about this ability? They said that it would defeat any Bakugan, allowing me to claim them as my own, and turn them in to the Beos for transformation. Or else…there's…_

"You underestimate the power of the Guardians. Though my original body perished in the fight against Naga, I still hold a fragment of the Infinity Core's power within me. And even a fragment of that power is enough to prevent me from falling under your control! Don't underestimate the strength of the bond between human and Bakugan."

The slender-snouted dragon rolled his eyes. Maybe his ability had failed, but imagining the self-righteous female becoming consumed by wires as her freedom of mind was taken away quelled his rage.

"You are starting to bore me with your speech. General Quasar!" Dark energy circled around Viperhelios, boosting his Gs.

"Spirit Eye Flash! Now your ability is useless, and so is your gate." A flash of blinding light made Helios roar in fury. The two dragons started to fight tooth and claw, until Wayvern summoned strength from the Core and struck her foe down with power that he didn't expect.

Joe waited for a reply from Spectra, but all he could hear was incomprehensible muttering under exhausted breathing. The red-coated man picked up Helios in ball form, and simply walked away, not even waiting to see the result of Shadow and Masquerade's brawl.

_Lord Naas will completely destroy us, Viperhelios. We haven't failed him before, how will he react? _

_This is unfortunate, but get your head in the right frequency. Lord Naas would not actually kill a human or Bakugan he has spent so much time teaching to fight for him. If anything, he will simply figure out a strategy that has a greater chance of success, and we will not disappoint._

_You're right Viperhelios. _Spectra's baleful glare softened at his friend's words. The only Bakugan he'd ever admit to thinking of as more than scum.

He used his rage to cover up his insecurities, and adopted a veneer as confident and mysterious as the mask that veiled his eyes. Naas would be the only one he would ever put above him, but whenever he lost, that hierarchy tumbled into disarray and so did his mind.

* * *

The other masked blonde held out his hand, catching his winning Bakugan and tilting his head to the side as he quirked a mocking smile at Shadow, who was once again shouting his disbelief.

"This is it! I'm not playing around anymore. Meet Hades!" The giant mechanical version of Hydranoid came into view, roaring in screeching, staticy tones that made Masquerade cover his ears.

Masquerade wished he still had Hydranoid at that moment: he would have taken pleasure in seeing him blow up the cheap imitation to bits. But he knew he was in good hands with Alice.

"Okay Zora, let's take care of this tin can!" Her wings spread out to their full length: they looked draconic from the front, but they were covered in black feathers on the black. Her head was crowned with antelope-like horns, which, along with her orange eyes, gave her a rather demonic appearance.

Shadow tried to use Dark Shield, but Zoracera summoned an orb in her clawed hands which she then threw into the ground, which not only prevented Shadow from using a gate card, but caused the shield to flicker away.

"Hah. Well, that was lame…"

Suddenly a huge rift opened in the ground, and Hades' leg fell into the chasm. He roared in anger as he tried to get out, but the ground swallowed him up. A few moments later, he was spit back out to Shadow in ball form, clacking against his leather boot.

His right eye twitched.

"Argh! I've never seen a Darkus ability like that before. You're beyond infuriating, you know that? You haven't seen the last of me! I demand a rematch." He bunched up his fists and stomped the ground, having completely lost what little resolve he had left.

"It will be my pleasure. Come back again when you feel like losing." Masquerade said, giving him a mock good-bye wave. So fitting for the little child he was.

"That was a great battle, wasn't it? I can't help but feel sorry for Spectra, though. I mean, it looks like the guy never brawled for fun in his whole life." Joe explained.

"I used to be just the same way. I never would have thought Dan would help change my outlook. I knew Alice would, but not him. Even though I still kinda hate his guts." The corners of his mouth turned up in a surprisingly good-natured smile. One Joe had never seen from him before.

"We should head for Naas' lair, as well. At the very least, we can follow the others and make sure the Beos don't surprise them with an attack." Zora suggested.

"I agree. Let's get going."

The two former enemies walked together, neither minding the presence of the other. They knew that if they fought together, they would have a greater chance of nullifying the threat against Vestroia.

**Author's Note: **Finally, I've completed all of the revisions! I hope you enjoyed this one: I added more character interaction, and gave a little more insight into Spectra's mind. He's different from the canon version, remember. :P Please review, and expect to see Chapter 8 sometime this summer! :D


	9. Chapter 8: The Beos with the Iron Face

A/N: No, this is not a glitch in 's mailing system. This fanfic LIVES! I know, shocking, right? But yes…after months of zero inspiration, I finally decided I could not leave all the hard work I put into this fanfic to just rot away. So…enjoy the new chapter! :D

Chapter 8: The Beos with the Iron Face

"Ugh, it feels like we've been walking ALL DAY! Can't we just sit down for one minute?" Dan said in an uncharacteristically cranky voice.

"Dan, if we don't keep on walking, we'll never get to the checkpoint with everyone else."

"I guess you're right Runo. Hey, I think I see a tall grove of trees in the distance. That's it! We're almost there!"

Marucho watched from atop Preyas' shoulder as Dan suddenly sprinted forward, sighing.

"As someone who likes to run a lot, you think he'd know about pacing himself. I guess you never learn that when you only do it as a hobby and there's nobody to yell at you for doing it wrong."

"You seem unjustly frustrated with your dear friend. Is something wrong?" Angelo asked, walking beside Preyas.

"To be honest, I believe the monumentality of our upcoming goal is taking a toll on my state of mind. I feel utterly useless just sitting here. I'd much rather be researching more about these Beos to find their vulnerabilities." The young blonde's head hung down as a worried expression dulled his usually bright features.

"Cheer up Marucho, once we find one of their bases you'll have all the computers and techie junk that you ever dreamed of to look at!" Julie, riding on Gaia Gorem's vast shoulders, said cheerfully.

"I guess you have a valid point." Marucho sweatdropped as he tried to ignore how her comment was unintentionally rude.

Saber Tigrerra, who was currently the only one behind Dan, frowned in concern at how tired Runo seemed.

"Here milady, let me carry you."

"No, no, we're almost there…" But her protests faltered as the large prehistoric feline hoisted her over her shoulders.

_I should have done this a mile ago, but Runo is impossibly stubborn. _

* * *

Shun and Alice were the only ones who had elected to go with their flying guardians to the wooded checkpoint, which they assumed was halfway between where they battled and Naas' lair. Dan stayed behind, promising to call for Drago if trouble appeared. Why Dan didn't just let Drago carry him was a mystery.

"Shun! I can see Dan and the other Bakugan approaching. They've made it safely." Zephyrus Skyress had the keen vision of an eagle, so it was no surprise to the others that she spotted them.

"I still don't know why Dan insisted on walking on foot." Drago sighed. "Humans are beyond strange sometimes."

"That they are Drago…that they are." Skyress agreed.

_You're referring to how Alice and Shun are behaving towards each other, aren't you Drago? _Little known to the humans, Bakugan could communicate through mental links, just as Alice and Masquerade did.

_Yes. In all of the time I've known them, I've never been witness to such awkward silences between the two. _Drago thought, his emerald eyes darting briefly in her direction.

_I suspect it's because Alice has a little crush on her alter ego now that he has a body of his own. Shun has told me that's what he suspects, and he worries their friendship will crumble. _

_ That makes sense. It's also unfortunate. I hope things will turn out okay. Any divisions within the Brawlers could prove disastrous._

_ I agree Drago. I may be able to talk to Alice, but beyond that, there's nothing I can do. It's up to her._

Skyress' golden eyes fixed on Alice, perched behind the fins of Hydranoid's middle head. His right head was facing towards the back to watch for enemies, but he also caught Skyress' stare.

"Is something wrong, Skyress?" The highest pitched voice asked.

"Now that you mention it…I'm a bit concerned about Alice. She's been awfully quiet lately."

The aforementioned girl turned around quickly with a gasp: obviously she was in a world of her own until the phoenix's voice snapped her back to reality. Her brown eyes widened, but then returned to normal, a somewhat solemn expression on her face.

_Should I just go ahead and tell Shun now? All of this has gone unspoken for so long. I don't want to lose him as a friend, but it's more certain that my fear would drive him away rather than the truth. _

_ I better. It's now or never. _

"Actually…there's something I need to tell Shun." Alice said, bowing her head before meeting Shun's wide-eyed stare. However, it was quickly replaced by a stern glare.

"It's about time." Skyress set the ninja down on the ground, and Alice was gently picked up by Hydranoid's menacing claws to stand safely in front of him.

"I know that things have been awkward ever since Masquerade came back. There's a reason for that. Not only is he literally my other half, but…I feel like we're meant to be together, in a romantic sense, as well."

The normally cool-headed teen couldn't help but feel a slight wave of nausea come over him. It was one thing to expect all this, and another to actually hear it with his own ears.

"This probably isn't easy for you to hear. I'm really nervous saying this out loud to you. I don't want this to ruin our friendship, Shun. Regardless of what may have happened in the past, I want you to know that I always want you by my side, as a dedicated friend. We've shared too much to just throw it all away. Please forgive me…" She began to sniffle a bit, guilt over her taboo crush manifesting into tears.

_Crap, you just had to break down and cry Alice._ She thought to herself.

Shun could hear the sincerity in her voice. He knew that Alice was incredibly shy, and no doubt, it must have been a difficult thing to admit. He put his jealous feelings aside, and embraced her.

"It's okay Alice. I'll admit, I'm a little jealous, but what would have been worse is if this caused our friendship to drift apart. I'm glad our bond is this strong." His eyes watered a bit against his will, but he felt infinitely better.

_Good choice, Skyress. Your concern prompted her to admit her feelings. _

_ Flattery gets you everywhere, Drago. _He got a mental image of the phoenix fluffing out her feathers and standing tall. Humans would liken it a proud and pompous lady of wealth.

* * *

The moon was beginning to rise over the bleak landscape, the tall trees casting impossibly large shadows. Alice, Julie, Runo, Marucho, Dan, and Shun all sat around a bonfire they had created. No matches were necessary thanks to Drago.

"I'm pooped…I think it's time for bed." Dan said with an exaggerated yawn.

"If you would have just let me carry you, you would not have exhausted yourself." Drago's emerald eyes glinted in the firelight.

"I know, I know…but I had a lot of energy! I'm pumped to kick some Beos ASS!"

"We need to think carefully about this. Remember what Masquerade said: the Beos need a host to replicate themselves. Our guardians could be vulnerable. And since Beos are not Bakugan, the cards we have will only serve to help us, not hurt them." Marucho explained.

"That's right. Since the Beos have been honing their instincts to find hosts, I bet they'll be on us before we could say "Ability, Activate!"" Shun added.

There was a sigh from Dan, and he stared into the fire. Drago's element. It forged his metal scales and wingplates, and he had a near complete mastery of it thanks to battles he had won here before he met Dan, and then on Earth. The sparking of the burning lumber was strangely lulling.

"We'll figure something out, Dan. Don't you worry." Runo put her thin arm around his shoulders, trying to reassure him.

Hours passed, and the Brawlers eventually fell asleep on the soft grass some distance from where they had started their fire. Their Bakugan took turns keeping watch, and right now, Saber Tigrerra was on guard duty. Her night vision was one of the best, along with Hydranoid's.

_Crack!_ The feline's armored head swiveled in the direction of the noise. She took aim with her crossbow.

_Scuffle, swish. _The sound came from the opposite side now.

"Show yourselves!"

Nothing. She relaxed. Apparently it was nothing to be worried about.

A few minutes later, a brown form a good third bigger than her jumped across her field of view, making a beeline for Carcharo Preyas, who was sleeping by himself.

Her reaction was instantaneous. She launched an arrow, but it fell short of her target, and the thunk and the rest of the commotion startled Carcharo Preyas into action. He lept onto the form and slashed it with his claws. There was a pained roar so loud that it woke everyone.

_"Sirahesp! You're so clumsy, you woke up all the humans and Bakugan." _

"Who are you? You're one of the Beos, aren't you?" The shark-like Bakugan demanded.

"Beos…yes…" The shadowy figure took shape as it strode into the moonlight with the ambling walk of a bear.

The Brawlers were now fully awake, and made their way around the figure, their guardians at their sides. A smaller figure joined the larger one: skinny with a finned tail, fishy face, and small, useless fins where arms should be. It walked on two dinosaurian legs, carrying its body and tail horizontally.

"You can speak human languages?" Marucho asked, his natural scientific curiosity taking over. He felt safe with his guardians at his side. After all, how often would he get the chance to talk with interdimensional aliens?

"Yes. We're smarter than you probably think. But not all of us can talk." The fishy creature bobbed its body up and down, hyper and bold.

Alice glared at the creature. "We know what you want, but you're not going to get it!"

The larger one stepped into full view of the Brawlers. "I am Sirahesp, and this is Egabigas. We are here to protect Naas from the likes of your kind, and gain, shall we say…bodies…in the process."

"Woah…her face is completely metal." Runo said, clearly chilled by the Sirahesp's appearance.

"Would you like to know the story? A tragic accident long ago. I used my brawn to help in construction duties. I was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. A laser severed most of my skull from my body. I only have enough left for the corners of a smile." The aforementioned part moved up in amusement.

"Oh, man…that's sick…" Dan's lower eyelid twitched.

Sirahesp's mecha red eyes focused on the much smaller human.

"But I assure you, I have full vision, hearing, scent, and use of my jaws." She snapped them for effect, which riled up Drago.

"Enough! We cannot stand idly by while you imprison our leaders and turn our kind into parasites. Let's settle this with a battle."

"Oh? You hear that, you hear that? The big guy wants to FIGHT us! We're Naas' elite guards!" Egabigas shivered the rattling metal plates of the fins where his arms should have been and those of his tail in excitement.

"Elite guards? You're shorter than Marucho, how could you be elite guards?" Preyas began to laugh.

"Egabigas is a fool, I don't know why Naas chose him. Perhaps for amusement." Sirahesp replied.

"SHUT UP!" The metal plates rattled even more now, this time in anger. He was rewarded by a faceful of black claws which knocked him over.

"Ow…geez…" He rolled to his feet. It seemed like he was used to it.

"Are you going to fight amongst yourselves? Or will you have the honor of being the Brawlers' first defeat of an alien species?" Shun brandished an ability card which glowed, and Skyress stood in front of him.

"You've got it backwards, my dear."

Sirahesp lept at Skyress, but the four-winged phoenix dodged the slow reptile with ease. The wind began to pick up, and with a single wingbeat, a gust was directed at Sirahesp. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, but otherwise, the female Beos was unphased.

"You'll have to try harder than that!" Charging to put more acceleration behind her mass, Sirahesp made another leap at the end of her run: this time her jaws barely missed the phoneix's foot. Jaws that could easily sever toes and limbs.

Shun watched with great trepidation. He feared that Skyress would make one wrong move and fall prey to the Beos, but she had the upper hand with being in the air at least. He lifted his ability card high into the air.

"Ability activate! Omni Lightning!" A glow emanated from Zephyrus Skyress' new armor, and within a second, lightning struck the ground around both of the Beos. The shock traveled up Egabigas' metal feet, and he shuddered, falling to the ground.

"I relent, I relent!" The smaller Beos said with absolute terror in his voice. Clearly he had never experienced such power.

"Then go on, GET OUTTA HERE!" Diablo shouted, and he began to chase him away from the group, even going as far as hurling a fireball at him.

"So much for being a guard. What, did Naas think we were wimpy little things?" Diablo huffed.

Sirahesp, however, was still on her feet, and the smaller creatures' noise only served her to target him.

The terrifying image of steel jaws bull-rushing him filled Diablo's vision, and he felt a sharp pain in his left wing.

"No, Diablo!" Marucho shouted, fearing the worst. But Angelo Preyas rushed to his aid, punching the Beos in the face: right over her eye. The metal must have had pain sensors like organic tissue, because she let go immediately, blinking and stunned. Diablo took the opportunity to launch a fireball at her. However, that did not seem to phase her much.

"I can handle this, Angelo." Gaia Gorem said, and Julie activated one of his new abilities.

"Ability Activate! Landslide!"

The earth began to move, and seemingly out of thin air, a huge landslide overtook the _Baryonyx_-like creature. With much struggling, Sirahesp eventually clawed her way out of it, but seemed dazed.

"That…is…IT! Prepare to be turned." Her crimson eyes met with Gorem's, and he felt a strong desire to look at them. She walked forward, slashing at his legs with her massive claws. Not a dent was made, and Julie wondered what the point of that was.

"Come on Gorem, she's right under you, smash her!" Julie urged him on, but he didn't budge. Then, it hit her.

"Oh no…oh no!" What looked like tiny metal shards with legs jumped onto him, latching onto his stony frame. There were only a few at first, but then they began replicating at lightning speed.

"Ability activate! Burning Dragonia!" Drago glowed, and an immense flame built in his mouth, which he unleashed upon Gorem and Sirahesp, followed by a smaller rain of fire. Sirahesp screeched in anguish, her scales smoking from the impact. The tiny metal shards did not spread any further. After a moment, they shattered.

"What? No! This cannot be!" Sirahesps' deep red pupils went wide in disbelief. No creature, to her knowledge, had ever been able to resist infection.

"Face it, you're beaten. Run back to Naas and tell him we're ready for a real challenge!" Drago boasted. The Beos shrunk back into the shadows, and ran off, leaving the stench of charred scales behind.

* * *

Wayvern circled in for a landing some distance from Naas' ominous lair, Joe hanging onto the scales on her back as she descended. Zoracera followed suite, carrying Masquerade, and they alighted on the roof of a small building. They decided it was better to start there in hopes of gathering some information before barging straight into the head honcho himself. Not to mention, two powers of the two of them combined would never be a match for the Beos ruler.

The two teens stepped carefully down. It looked like there was an entrance in an inset part of the roof, which housed a door. Joe jiggled the handle. To his surprise, the door opened.

"Maybe it's a trap. Maybe he knows we're here."

"We have to take that risk." Masquerade replied. "Otherwise, we'll be going in blind." Joe nodded, and they entered. Zoracera was small enough to fit inside, but Wayvern wasn't.

"I'll stand guard, and let you know if trouble arises." Her keen eyes scanned the horizon as the trio went in.

The entrance was fairly dark, but they soon discovered a fluorescent-lit hallway which reminded Joe much of a hospital, yet it was still fairly different from the one he used to stay in during his sickness. Their shoes squeaked on the tile floor, much to their discomfort.

Rounding a corner, an open door beckoned them in. They exchanged glances, and Masquerade went in first. They noticed a wall of screens with an alien language scrolling across on various menus, along with wireframe models and what looked like vital sign readings.

Not unexpectedly, there was a team of humans in there, wearing military uniforms with the varying shades of blue splattered with black and white of the Navies common on their Earth. Cautiously, Joe approached one of them, a middle aged man with a stern face. He slowly looked in Joe's direction.

"Hello, sir."

A stare was the only response.

"Sir, do you work for the Beos?"

None of them could understand his response, which they presumed to be in the alien language on the screen. But he undoubtedly was from Earth.

"Looks like they've convinced some humans to work for them." Zoracera remarked.

For about 15 minutes, they went around to each person, attempting to communicate with them in English. Joe even tried what little he knew in French, but they had no success whatsoever. Just as they were about to leave the room, two familiar faces made their way into the room.

"What? How did you get in here?" Cynthia angrily yelled at them. They were both surprised at her outburst, considering she had shown almost no emotion during the brawl.

"Door was open." Joe replied calmly, and he actually smiled. Cynthia's light brown eyes went wide, and she realized he was right. Aaron stepped in beside her, and after a brief exchange of glances, the tension eased.

"Who are these people?" Masquerade asked, gesturing to the military personnel behind him.

"They're from Earth, of course. You know the military kept tabs on that whole Bakugan thing from when they first showed up. Naturally, they wanted to investigate what was going on here in Vestroia. And investigate they did. They've sided with the Beos in hopes of stopping another Bakugan invasion. They seem to be confident that the Beos would get what they want in the form of the Bakugan, and leave, never to be heard from again." Aaron looked extremely calm. Almost too calm.

"But the Bakugan aren't a threat. They'd never attack Earth again." Joe said, but then he could almost feel Masquerade's disapproving look. He felt like eating his words. Right…how did he know that some evil person wouldn't try to manipulate Bakugan and use them to try and destroy earth? All they needed was another Hal-G to come along, and bingo.

"We stand correct." Cynthia smiled, much to the shock of both Brawlers.

"I have another question…how did you get here? Last we saw you was on Earth. I figure teleportation cards are rare." Zoracera's orange eyed gaze pierced into the humans'.

"You think Michael Gehabich is the only one with dimensional transportation technology? He isn't. Our parents have been working on a way for a long time, and we finally got a portal…but admittedly, it's not as reliable, and constantly breaks down. Because of that, we took it upon ourselves to research card teleportation technology."

"We started off with wanting to teleport on earth. That's what both the portals and the cards were designed to do. We figured if it wouldn't work on earth, it wouldn't on Vestroia. But…we got more than we bargained for. When the coordinates are punched in to the desired location, one big fault was discovered." Cynthia added on to Aaron's discussion.

"That fault was that the coordinates did not always correspond to _our _ Earth's location. We landed on Vestroia the first time we used it. It's been a consistent way back and forth ever since, but it's miraculous that we actually made it to Vestroia instead of a different alternate Earth reality."

"It all makes sense…" Joe said in astonishment, and Masquerade simply nodded. He then smirked, and stepped closer to Cynthia during the lull in conversation.

"You look so much like Alice…you know, I saw every move you made through her eyes."

"Well…that's creepy." Cynthia said flatly…but then cracked a smile herself.

"More than you'll ever know." He added, with a laugh for the full effect. Aaron just gave him a weird look and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh…anyway. We're actually too afraid to take any more chances with this faulty technology. That's why we're here. We need to Beos' help. They're technology experts to say the least, and portals aren't a big issue for them, even if their specialties are biomechanics, biosynthesis, and so on."

Zoracera gave a confused look to Aaron.

"But…why? They're trying to overthrow the Bakugan, use them as slaves, practically. If they saw anything of use in humans, your whole world would be at risk."

"I don't think the others would agree with us…and don't tell them this, but we're pretty sure the Beos won't win." Aaron stated, simply.

"I thought you hated us." Masquerade inquired.

"We do. But we hate the others more. Otherwise, we wouldn't be having this pleasant little chat with you." Cynthia smirked at Masquerade, which made him feel uncomfortable. He definitely would not put up with anyone who hated his alter-ego any longer than necessary. His lips were drawn into a thin line, and Cynthia soon copied his expression.

"Thank you for the insight, Cynthia and Aaron, but we'll be going now." Joe began to walk out the door with Masquerade and Zora in his footsteps. Zora gave Cynthia a death glare, but it had no effect on the relatively stern Brawler.

Uneventfully, they left, pondering what the fates of those two would be. They were both thankful that the military wasn't a direct threat to them, but their unwavering assistance to the Beos seemed deeply unsettling.

"Well…what's next?" Joe asked Masquerade.

"We wait for the others to arrive. I will send them a message letting them know we're ready." He typed on his Baku-pod, and a blip notified them that the message was in transit.

"You know…it's so odd that someone would give their whole life, and practically their personality, up for an alien race." Joe mused, his straw-colored hair whipping around his face as a gust built up.

"Is it? Our life revolves around Bakugan. Our destinies are forever intertwined with theirs. As soon as we set foot in this innocent looking arena, which we thought was a child's game…that was it. There's no going back to an ordinary life."

_Even back before I knew what Bakugan was, I made other games my life. I needed an escape. I never knew I'd get more than I bargained for. Ha. Dan laughed at me when I said that Bakugan was my life, but what the hell is HIS life? There you go. _

He chuckled to himself. Hypocrisy, as irritating as it could be, was sure damn amusing.

**A/N:** I don't own Bakugan. Bakugan is owned by Spin Master, Nelvana entertainment, and Cartoon Network. I do, however, own Zoracera, Naas, Egabigas, Sirahesp, the concept of the Beos, Zephyrus Skyress, Gaia Gorem, Carcharo Preyas, Saber Tigrerra, and this storyline. Cynthia and Aaron are also mine, but Juggernaut69 helped in their creation, so some credit goes to him. :D

I should also make a note that, yes, Viperhelios IS Darkus in this fanfic. It is a purposeful decision on my part. _This storyline is completely independent of New Vestroia or ANYTHING that came after it. I borrowed some of the characters for use in this story, but don't expect them to be identical to the canon versions of said characters._ Quite frankly, I was extremely disappointed by New Vestroia and completely stopped watching Bakugan shortly before it ended. So I'm not taking it, or any of the following story arcs, into account in my fanfiction. I apologize if you're a fan of NV, Mechtanium Surge, or Gundalian Invaders, but you will find none of that in this fanfic.

Thank you very much, and please read and review. Flames will be used to help Drago's attacks. =)


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